Ice
by msgone
Summary: Helen and her merry clan have traveled to the frozen tundra to capture an elusive abnormal. Things go awry when Tesla goes missing and Helen tries to find him. Post Sleepers, Pre-Awakenings
1. Lost

I do not own Sanctuary.. nothing I do here is for profit!

Ice

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

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><p>Helen was starting to have second thoughts about this trip… Not that her contacts weren't reliable, but she was chilled to the bone, and could only wonder about the rest of her team.. The incessant chatter had died off what seemed like hours ago and the only confirmation that she had that she wasn't alone was an occasional glance behind her. The group wasn't trying to keep up with her anymore, so much as just keeping her in sight as not to lose her in the snow. She risked another peek behind her. Henry was walking slower so that Kate could keep up, Will was still behind her. Someone was missing…<p>

"Nikola", Helen muttered worriedly.

He had been walking right along side Will. Normally she wouldn't be worried about the man, but he wasn't invincible anymore, and he was insistent on coming. Something about earning his room and board, knowing Nikola, it was just another excuse to toy with her. She indulged him, seeing that as long as he was with her, it might save one of her labs from being destroyed. The freezing temperatures didn't seem to be agreeing with him since they had arrived. He dressed warmly for this trip, brought along all the needed supplies.. but rediscovering his humanity after such a long absence was proving to be more difficult an adjustment than he cared to admit to anyone, especially to Helen. She noticed his slower steps, his blue tinged lips, and most noticeably, his silence.

Helen stopped walking.

"Does anyone know where Nikola's got off to"? she questioned her group.

"Magneto said he needed to stop for a minute and that he would catch up in like 5, or something", Kate said rubbing her hands together for warmth.

"How long ago was that"?

"…Uh, I'm not sure, he's been so quiet I actually forgot he was with us", she said guiltily chuckling to herself.

Helen ground her teeth, she couldn't be mad at them. They didn't know Nikola the way she did. As much of a loner as he tried to be, he still feared being alone. For him to actually want to stop to be by himself and rest wasn't good. Especially now, that he's mortal. Which this only proves that he's trying not to be a burden, not realizing that he's put his life in jeopardy.

"Where were we when he stopped"?

"There were a bunch of rocks, he kinda just leaned on one and said not to wait up"

Helen found a second wind, and a steely resolve.

"Go ahead and set up camp here, I'm going to retrace our steps to go back for him."

"Magnus…", Will chimed in, " Let one of us come with you. You don't need to be out there alone anymore than the rest of us."

She looked him over, she could tell he was exhausted. All of them were. She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts as she was walking that she forgot that she loses herself when she's tracking an abnormal.

"As much as I appreciate that, you're all looking rather haggard. It'll be much faster if I just go myself. Be back in a tick", Helen said as she started her journey back.

"Doc! Wait a sec!" Henry trudged over to her and handed her a device.

"I was hoping that we wouldn't have to use these, but seeing as we're splitting the group it seems like a good idea. It's a GPS tracking device with a built in walkie", Henry grinned boyishly. "It's only got a 5 mile radius though, but we can track each other through this screen here."

Helen smiled, and clapped him on the cheek, "I knew I kept you around for a good reason. Thank you, Henry"

Helen started retracing their steps, no sooner than she's gotten a few meters away, the snow started to fall again, and the wind picked up its gust.

"Nikola, please be okay," she whispered into the wind. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and wound it around her face leaving only her shielded eyes exposed.


	2. Found

Again, I don't own Sanctuary or any of it's characters. I just appreciate them!

Ice

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

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><p>"Where the devil are you, Nikola?"<p>

It seemed like Helen had been walking for hours. Her pace was slowed by the unrelenting snow. 'This can't be good,' she thought as she looked at her watch. Helen expected more time to have gone past, but it had only been about 10 minutes since she left the rest of her team to search for her old friend. 10 minutes that should have only been 5. There was no telling just how long Nikola had been missing and she could only hope that he'd found shelter.

The rocky cliff they'd walked past started to come into sight..

"Nikola! Nikola!," with the wind howling as it was she gave up on him actually hearing her.

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><p>Nikola opened his eyes and found himself in a very disconcerting position. He didn't recognize where he was, he was freezing, and he was alone.<p>

"They really don't like me very much do they?" he mumbled through chattering teeth.

He never thought that Helen would leave him behind in conditions such as these. He was here with Helen wasn't he? He reflected for a moment. 'I came with Helen to help her find an abnormal.' It was the least he could do being her latest charity case. 'Helen wouldn't have left me, she didn't know I stopped.'

Nikola had no idea how much time had gone while he'd been unconscious, but all of his extremities were burning and he could barley move. He couldn't feel his fingers even though they were layered in gloves.

"Perfect!" he grumbled watching the snow starting to fall again..

He started rubbing his hands together, then rubbing his legs to try and wake them up, he had to move. He grabbed the rock he was leaning on as best he could and grimaced as he lifted himself out of the snow. In a matter of minutes the snow started to fall in thick blankets, and he had no idea which direction to go. He just stood there leaning against the boulder, huffing, looking around. He wrapped his scarf around his head below his eyes and pulled the hood on his parka back up. That was a little bit better.

"I'm going to have to pick a direction…" he stated as his body was wracked with a brutal spasm of shivers.

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><p>Helen's heart leapt in her throat every time she came across anything resembling a snow covered body.<p>

'Why couldn't he have just told her that he needed a break?' She paused for a minute..

'Would I have believed him, or thought it was just another way of him trying to steal hugs and kisses?'

If she found him…NO when she found him, she would have to apologize to him for always assuming the worst.

The truth was that she had always cared deeply for him, and that scared her. He seemed too perfect in those early days. Helen smiled at the memory. As much as she'd wanted to be with him, she always thought that it would break the spell. That everything would change in such a way that he'd leave her, hurt and broken. The thought of giving that much of yourself to one person, of letting them have that much control terrified her. She thought she was safe with John. She liked him, maybe even loved him, but she could always have her perfect relationship with Nikola. Those were the days before the source blood though. The source blood changed everything and she ended up losing more than she gained.

"Damnit, pay attention, Helen," she shook her head as if it would banish the thoughts that suddenly found themselves foremost on her mind.

The rocks didn't go on that far, that was a small blessing at least. She quickened her pace moving from boulder to boulder. Maybe he stopped early on taking refuge near one of the boulders to keep himself upright.

"Nikola!" "Nikola!"

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><p>He didn't think he could walk much farther. 'I can't die like this,' he thought. He always thought that he would die alone, that one thing or another would happen and Helen wouldn't be there anymore. He never thought it would be anything like this. Every step he took was painful. It felt like his bones were so brittle that if he stepped wrong, they would break.<p>

'Keep walking, legs keep moving,' he willed himself on.

No sooner than he'd said it, his legs gave out.

"Uhhh…" he whimpered as he hit the snowy ground. It wasn't fair. His eyesight was wavering, and just as his eyes started to close, he thought he heard a voice calling him. It sounded so familiar, so distant, but so close.

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><p>"Nikola! Oh thank God!," Helen cried as she ran up to him. She'd seen him stumble to the ground, but he didn't get up.<p>

She turned him over on his back to get a better look at his face. She pulled down his scarf, his skin was almost translucent and his lips were such a dark blue they were almost purple. She didn't have a whole lot of time to help him; he'd been exposed too long.

Helen took Nikola's back pack off, and then her own. She quickly assembled her tent and pulled Nikola inside. She took a blanket out of her pack. Henry rigged one of the small batteries he had "acquired" from Hollow Earth to it to make it a very efficient portable electric blanket. Helen stripped them both down to their first layer and threw the warming blanket over them. Nikola was going to need all the heat she could supply. His pulse had been too slow and his skin was frigid. She winced as she turned Nikola on his side hugging him to her, he was so cold. Even in his unconscious state he was shivering, but after a few minutes the shivering subsided and she heard an audible sigh come from him.

She thought he was awake, but if he was he was faking pretty well. His color was slowly starting to return, but his skin was still very cold.

'This could take a while', she thought. She couldn't reach the walkie and she wasn't willing to let go of Nikola to get to it. The sun was already starting to dip on the horizon so there was no way they were going to make it back while there was still light. She hoped the 'children' would understand.

Helen let herself succumb to her exhaustion, the body she was holding and the warmth of the blanket lulled her into a deep sleep. She hoped everything would be better in the morning.


	3. Something In Your Eye

I still don't own Sanctuary, or any of its characters..

But this abnormal is MINE! Heehee!

It's amazing how you can start a story off with one concept, and it completely evolves into something different!

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><p>Ice<p>

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

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><p>Nikola was walking down a dark alley, the only light was that from the full moon that hung overhead. It cast an eerie bluish glow to the brick and cobblestone surrounding him.<p>

"Niiiiikkkooooollllaaaaa…" a voice sing-songed. The voice sounded familiar and soothing. He felt like he was drowning in it, it was everywhere but coming from nowhere.

Bright flashes of light and the feeling of being closed in began to overwhelm him. A face drifted in and out of his vision. The blinding white light, then the darkness of the alley, then the face, they rotated in waves. He felt nauseous and his head started to pound in time with his shifting vision, every cycle bringing more and more pain to his already throbbing head. Nikola gripped his head and fell to his knees on the cobblestone. He heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming toward him. The pain in his head crippled him so that he couldn't move.

The footsteps stopped right beside him, and a hand reached out gripping him by the throat and lifted him to his feet.

"Oh Nikola, you really thought you could get away from me?"

Nikola peered through his mostly closed eyes to the owner of the voice. Helen's face appeared right in front of his and morphed into that of a vampire.

"You should know better by now!" she leered at him showing her fanged teeth as she quickly moved towards his neck.

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><p>Helen woke to jerky movements and whimpering coming from Nikola. Some time while they were asleep Helen lay on her back and Nikola's head ended up on her shoulder with his arm wound about her, hugging her close. She could feel him trembling, but not from the cold, it wasn't the same kind of shiver. Looking at him she was reminded of a terrified child gripping his mother for safety. Helen lifted her hand and began running her fingers through his hair.<p>

"Shhhhh," she murmured, "It's ok, Nikola, you're ok."

His skin was still very cool to the touch, but he wasn't deathly cold anymore. She had been afraid to crank the heat up too much on the blanket, he needed to warm back up at the same rate he cooled. Nikola settled down a little as she rubbed his head. She wasn't sure how long she spent in that position, but it felt nice to be soothing him. Helen started to drift off to sleep again, not wanting to move for fear of waking him. He needed the rest, and as soon as he woke she would access his condition again. As long as he was ok, they would start making their way to the rest of the group. She had a feeling that the lot of them would be taking advantage of her absence, sleeping as long as they could.

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><p>Nikola slowly started to become aware of his surroundings. He could hear the wind , but he couldn't feel it. He was cold, but not freezing, and he was nestled up to something soft and warm. He was aware of a dull ache in his head and his limbs felt like 100 pound weights. He didn't want to move, he was comfortable. He groaned as he gradually found his strength and started to stir. The memories came flooding back, and with it his anxiety level climbed.<p>

Hissing through his teeth at the searing pain building up behind his eyes, he reached for his head and found a hand resting on his cheek. He wanted to know who this was with him, but he didn't want to open his eyes. With as much pain as was coursing through his head, he knew that if he opened his eyes and it was light out, it would make it 10x worse. He felt the hand on his face twitch. He groaned again as he tried and failed to lift his head, only succeeding in slightly rolling it to the side.

"Nikola?" a feminine voice asked, "are you awake?"

"He…Helen?" he asked faintly. Nikola started to relax as an involuntary shudder coursed through his body.

"It's me, Nikola. How are you feeling?" Helen's hand started to caress his cheek.

"Terrible," he whispered as his teeth chattered.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"…..I can hardly move… and my head." He grunted as he tried to move again.

"Easy Nikola, you were hypothermic when I found you. Had I known you would have such a bad reaction to the cold, I wouldn't have let you come."

"Ahhhh….." Opening his eyes, Nikola flinched as though someone had hit him. He tried to bury his head in Helen's side.

"Nikola?"

"It hurts….," he whined grabbing his head. He'd had his share of headaches, but this, it was unbearable.

Helen slowly sat up trying to move out from under Nikola. He quickly grabbed at her trying to keep her where she was.

"Nikola, I need to take a look at you, see what's going on, I was more concerned with increasing your body temperature than giving you a look last night."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she gave an internal groan. 'Great, he'll have a field day with that one.' But the retort never came. Now she knew something was very wrong.

Helen sat up, Nikola's head was now in her lap. She looked down at him and her breath caught. Every breath looked as though it was labored, and what was that? She could see his breath, inside the warm tent. She exhaled to see if her breath did the same, and it didn't.

"Nikola," she said cautiously, "I'm going to move and I need you to lie on your back."

He responded with a moan and let himself slide off her lap to the floor. He still refused to open his eyes.

"I need you to open your eyes, Nikola."

"Please, don't make me do that," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Nikola's eyes were squeezed shut and his brow was furled. She moved to his side and cupped his face in her hands. His skin was still cold, colder than it was a few moments ago.

"Nikola," she said worriedly, "I need to see your eyes, only for a moment, I know it hurts and I wouldn't ask without good reason."

He groaned as he scrunched his eyebrows together, "Alright," he said defeated.

He grabbed Helen's wrists, took a deep breath and held it. Helen could feel him trembling. Nikola slowly opened his eyes, fully expecting to be assaulted by pain again.

"Ahhh…." He tried to look around, everything was in a haze. Nikola attempted to focus on the closest thing to him, which happened to be Helen. He didn't think it was possible for her to look more beautiful. As blinding as the light was that seeped in through the tent, it seemed to glow around her making her look more ethereal and angelic. The breath he held in escaped in a loud gasp.

"Dear God!" Helen exclaimed. It couldn't be. It was supposed to be extinct. Looking into Nikola's eyes she saw something blue swirling around in them. He slammed his eyes shut and gripped Helen's wrists harder.

"What? What is it?" Nikola whispered in a near panic.

"You're going to be ok Nikola, I promise." She said as calmly as she could.

"Helen, you're not being very convincing."

"Give me a moment, I have to find my walkie and contact Henry."

Nikola listened to her rummaging around through things. He heard the rustling of fabric and what sounded like a boot hit the floor.

"Ah ha!" she said. Looking it over for a moment she turned it on and cursed herself. She should've done that yesterday before she left. She looked over at Nikola happy that his eyes were closed. She didn't want him to see how worried she was about him. People in his condition didn't normally survive an encounter with the parasitic that attached itself to him. She needed to get him to the Sanctuary, and fast.

"Henry, Henry come in." she said into the walkie, "I've found Nikola, we need to transport him back to the Sanctuary as soon as possible."

"Uh, Doc…. That might be a bit of a problem."

Helen heard gunfire in the background.

"We found, well, the abnormal we were looking for found us, and brought friends."

"Bloody Hell!" she cursed. "What's your status, any injuries?"

Helen didn't get a response..

"Henry, Henry come in!" nothing but static.

"Bloody, bloody hell!"


	4. Legend of Sedna

I don't own Sanctuary... blah blah blah... do we really have to give disclaimers every time? Sorry, I know I've been updating for a few days strait, but life has that nasty way of playing catch-up... I sadly don't have a stable permanent internet connection now, so I have to rely on the library and friends... :)

Hope you all enjoy!

Jenn

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><p>Ice<p>

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

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><p>Helen starred down at the walkie-talkie wondering what was going on over there. Looking at the screen, the best she could tell was that their GPS signal was about a mile and a half from their current position. She was dumbfounded for a moment.<p>

"Helen?" Nikola asked, "What's going on?"

Helen sat down next to him on the floor of the tent.

"Well, it seems that the Amarok isn't as 'extinct, or endangered' as we originally thought." She sighed. "It seems that they've found their way to the 'children' as you like to call them."

"What's wrong with me?" he gasped as he tried to apply pressure to his temples to relieve his pain.

Helen considered telling him the truth for a moment, but she didn't want to scare him, not that Nikola Tesla would ever admit to being scared of anything. He might be turning over a new leaf with his current run of bad luck though. One couldn't say the word mortal referring to him in the same sentence without getting a nasty glare and threatened with metal projectiles.

"Hel…."

"Sorry, was lost in thought for a moment. You seem to have found a parasite that has infected your eyes - it creates a rare form of snow blindness. It will pass soon, and your vision will return to normal." She lied. She hoped that her explanation was chocked full of enough medical jargon to pass for truth.

Nikola found Helen's leg as he was rolling about trying to alleviate his pain and used her as a pillow. Looking down at him Helen tried to banish the wave of despair she felt. She felt a tear escape from her eye and quickly wiped it away. She started running her fingers through his hair and rubbing his head lightly.

"If my head didn't hurt so I would try to kiss you," he moaned, "This helps."

Helen could feel some of the tension he was holding in start to subside. "I'm surprised that you're still not trying."

He let out a half laugh half whimper, "Is that an invitation?"

She smiled, at least he was still trying to be his same 'charming' self. Helen sat there with him for a while, just rubbing his head and…. when had she started humming? She wasn't sure how long she sat there. She was trying to remember the particulars about the Sedna Virus. Helen had only glanced over the information as there hadn't been any reports of the condition in over a hundred years. There was merely a slight interest in it because it seemed to have been what eradicated the Amarok species. She took notice of the slow even breaths coming from her slumbering friend and in measured stages extracted herself from Nikola's grasp.

"Huh…."

Placing a hand on his forehead, she wondered at how he could still feel so cold. Grabbing Nikola's parka which was now dry, she put it under his head as a pillow and covered him with the blanket, turning the heat up a little. She didn't know if her laptop would work for getting a call out where she was. Henry had all the transmitting equipment. She did have her satellite phone though. Still if she could use the laptop it would be better for getting to her sanctuary files.

"Damnit…" Helen couldn't connect to any of the Sanctuary networks. Maybe they would have to put one somewhere in Alaska. She searched her files on the computer and found something.

_The Sedna Virus__ – An abnormal parasite affecting only male species of abnormal. Last known outbreak of The Sedna Virus was in the winter of 1810. Only known locations to have supported the outbreak were in sub-zero climates. No known specimens survived for study. There is no known cure. The infected subject will display signs of hypothermia with very brief exposure to freezing temperatures, crippling headaches, and blurred vision. The headache will gradually subside. Further visual symptoms will show incredibly light pallor, bluing of lips, and most notable, the eyes will show varying degrees of change. In the early stages a blue stream will be seen swirling about in the eyes. In the later stages, when the blue takes over the eye, signs of psychosis will begin to present (extreme paranoia, irrationality, violence, or fear). The subject will then start to succumb to hypothermic symptoms with the absence of exposure to the elements. The virus will then proceed to freeze the patient to death, warmth only slowing the progression. Death rates have varied in time depending on the abnormal infected, shortest being 48 hours, longest being 8 days. The Sedna Virus was responsible for the deaths of over 800 abnormals including an entire species of abnormal known as the Amarok. The Amarok was a gigantic wolf, mistaken for being highly aggressive they were hunted out of fear and sport. _

Helen let out a loud gasp, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth. She looked at Nikola as she noticed him wavering in her vision. The tears started falling before she even realized they were forming. She couldn't lose anyone else. She couldn't take it. Helen rushed over to Nikola's backpack and started pulling out its contents. Finding what she was looking for she went over to Nikola and placed the second blanket over him. Looking down at his sleeping form he looked so helpless and innocent, she didn't want to imagine life without him, or see him displaying any of the psychosis the report indicated he could have. She didn't want to see him that way.

Helen placed her hand on Nikola's cheek, "I'll fight for you, but you have to fight too."

"Okay….." she heard Nikola mumble in his sleep. My God, he'd heard that?

Helen got up and walked over to her backpack. Sighing, she removed her SAT phone and started dialing a number.

"Hello," a sleepy voice came over the line.

"Declan, this is Helen Magnus, I need your help."

"You do know what time it is here don't you?" he grumbled as he woke up.

"No, actually I don't. I didn't look at the time before I called." Helen looked down at her watch and winced, "It's about 3 a.m. there isn't it?"  
>"It is, sorry no matter what do you need?"<p>

"We've run into a problem," Helen regaled him with all the details.

"Well, I know that Tesla needs help, but are you sure bringing him to a Sanctuary it wise? There are several male abnormals in each of our Sanctuaries. We really can't risk the lives of so many.."

Helen started to pace again, "If there was another option I would take it, I'm just not sure any of our offsite facilities will have all the necessary medical equipment that I'm going to need. I can't give up on him Declan, I can't lose another one." She nearly said in a near whisper.

There was an audible sigh coming from the other end of the line. Everyone remembered too well the pain of losing James Watson, and the many that gave their lives defending the Sanctuary in the battle with the Cabal.

"I'll see what our techs can come up with as far as a means of transporting him. Which Sanctuary will you want him brought to?"

"Old City," she said without hesitation. "He's only in the beginning stages of the virus now, and I can only keep him warm for so long before he starts to succumb to it. We're running out of time, and this frozen tundra isn't helping his chances of surviving longer."

Helen heard a sound coming from Nikola. 'Damn, please don't wake up right now.' She thought. Wrapping up the conversation with Declan, she gave him their coordinates and thanked him again. She walked back over to Nikola and sat down, clutching the walkie-talkie to her chest.

"Henry, are you there?" Helen asked into the device, "Please respond."

She almost gave up on hearing from the rest of her group when the walkie crackled to life.

"Doc…?" she heard Henry ask tiredly.

"Henry, thank God!" she exclaimed.

"Don't thank anyone yet, Doc." She heard him say.

"What's wrong, Henry?" Helen asked cautiously.

"We're pretty beat up, Doc," Helen heard the pain in his voice now, "Will and Kate are outta commission. I'm not doing so great either."

"Henry, what happened?" Helen asked not sure when everything started to spiral out of control.

"Well, it doesn't look like the Amarok attacked us because it wanted to. Some of the locals domesticated some of them, if you could call attacking us domesticating."

"What do you mean they're out of commission?"

"….Well, Kate's unconscious, and Will…. Well, we'll just say that claws + skin = bad."

"Good heavens…" Helen put her hand to her head, "Do you think there is any chance you could move towards our position."

"Heh, you don't like making things easy do ya, Doc?" Henry laughed slightly.

Helen hadn't told him about Nikola's condition yet.

"I would come to you Henry, but it seems Nikola's very ill. He's found himself a deadly parasite, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I leave him for too long." Helen found herself lightly running her fingers along Nikola's forehead. She heard a contented sigh come from him.

"Yeh, definitely not making it easy…" Henry sighed. "Well, we did managed to run the locals off, maybe even killed a few I think. I'll see what I can find in the stuff they left behind."

"Henry, when you do get here, it's crucial that you specifically maintain distance from Nikola. This virus only affects male abnormals, and I don't want you catching it."

"Great…. Fun times." She heard Henry say.

"I have one tent set up, I'll set up the second one in anticipation of your arrival. Radio me when you see the camp."

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><p>Nikola had been awake for a little while, indulging in the comfort that Helen was providing for him. He tried his best not to flinch when she told Henry about the "deadly" virus he'd caught. True to Helen's prediction, his headache had subsided, and now he was just tired. He felt like he'd been physically laboring out in the cold for hours. A shudder passed through his body before he could stop it. Helen wasn't rubbing his head anymore. He opened his eyes, and finding that they didn't cause him so much pain, looked around. Helen wasn't in the tent anymore, when had she left?<p>

'I guess I fell asleep again.' He sighed.

He could've sworn she said she wasn't going to leave him. Nikola tested his limbs and for the first time since Helen found him, took note of what he was wearing. He was clad only in his thermals. He smirked, Helen had undressed him. The smirk quickly faltered when he remembered what Helen said to Heinrich. She had said deadly virus. He staggered to his knees, immediately missing the warmth of the blankets, and looked around again. He saw a SAT phone, a strange looking walkie-talkie, and a laptop not too far from him. Crawling to the computer, he touched the mouse pad and watched the computer come back to life. There was still a document pulled up on the screen, he began reading it

_The Sedna Virus__ – An abnormal parasite affecting only male species of abnormal. Last known outbreak of The Sedna Virus was…_

"What?" he shrieked as he completed the document.

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><p>Helen heard the scream as she was setting up the other tent. She ran to the tent where Nikola was and went inside. Nikola was dumping the contents of their backpacks, frantically searching for something.<p>

"I see you're awake."

"Snow blindness, Helen? You could've come up with something better than that. Did you think I wouldn't find out what you were keeping from me?"

Helen groaned, willing Nikola to turn around and face her. She needed to see his eyes. Obviously they weren't causing him pain anymore, but she had to know how far along the virus had come. Of he was in fact starting to display the signs of psychosis, and the only way to do that was to see his eyes.

"Nikola, come here, I need to see your eyes."

"Are you afraid that I've become irrational, violent, or let me guess, paranoid?"

"Yes," she stated simply.

Helen watched his shoulders slump as he slowly turned around to face her. He threw himself down in a seated position as though he were a child letting his parent have their way.

"How bad is it?" he asked quietly looking at her.

Helen looked in his eyes, she tried to keep the tears from coming, but it wasn't before her eyes betrayed her turning red with moisture.

"Well, I guess that answers that," he said turning away from her. He hated to see her upset. Any other time he would have tried to comfort her, but this was because of him. He was going to die, and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. Fighting the urge to curl up in a corner somewhere, he stood up and began to dress himself.

"What are you doing, Nikola?"

"I can't just sit here and wait on death to find me Helen. I have to do something."

"You have to stay where it's warm. Going outside isn't good for you, and could rush…" she trailed off not wanting to say it.

"The end?" Nikola finished the statement for her. "It's okay, you can say it." Before he put his boots on he knelt down to Helen and cupped her face in his hands.

"At least I'll get to spend my last moments with you." He said as he pulled her into a hug and absent mindedly stroked her hair. For once she didn't fight him, and leaned into the hug.

"I couldn't think of a better way to go." He smiled sadly.

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><p><em>Inspiration for The Sedna Virus<em>

.net/~

_This is a brief synopsis of the Inuit mythology that I borrowed from the aforementioned web address:_

_"Sedna, tormented and raging with anger for what had happened to her, did not perish. She became, and still is today, the goddess of the sea. Sedna's companions are the seals, and the whales that sit with her at the bottom on the ocean. Her anger and fury against man is what drums up the violent seas and storms . Hunters have a great respect for her. Legend has it that they must treat her with respect. Shaman's from the world above must swim down to her to comb her long black tangled hair. This calms Sedna down. Once this is done, she releases her mammals to allow the Inuit to eat from the bounty of the sea. It is for this reason in the north that after a hunter catches a seal he drops water into the mouth of the mammal, a gesture to thank Sedna for her kindness in allowing him to feed his family._

_This is the legend of Sedna."_

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><p><em><strong>Amarok<strong> is the name of a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology. (I'll be adding my own twist to this later :)  
><em>

_It is said to hunt down and devour anyone foolish enough to hunt alone at night. Unlike real wolves who hunt in packs, Amarok hunts alone. It is sometimes considered equivalent to the waheela of cryptozoology._


	5. Hide and Seek

Sorry guys, I'm a bit of a perfectionist... so uh... I kinda deleted all of the story and reposted it because I had to tweek a few things that didn't sound quite right to me... Sorry if you were in the middle of reading it when I did that!

I don't own Sanctuary... Blah... Blah... Blah :P

Sorry it took so long to do my update! But I threw some extra words in there this time! :D

Ice

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

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><p>Henry walked around their destroyed campsite, looking for anything that could help him transport his friends back to an area that was safer. Looking at the wreckage he was overcome with a wave of sadness. He felt a kinship with the Amarok, they were hunted to what the world thought was extinction, just like his kind. They were being kept as beasts of burden, and that thought angered him. Doc wouldn't want to leave until all of them were freed, he agreed with that course of action… but how were the small handful of them going to free an entire species from enslavement. In the condition their rabble seemed to be in, Doc and Kate sounded like they were the ones in the best condition. Kate had just been thrown around a bit, probably had a mild concussion, Will and himself on the other hand, he didn't know how he was still standing, he kept fighting off the urge to pass out from his pain.<p>

"Damn," he said falling to one knee, he grabbed his side through his blood soaked gear.

It hurt, a lot, but he can't give up. Doc was counting on him, and so were Will and Kate even though they didn't know it. He patched Will up as best he could, but he was far from a doctor. He felt more comfortable with his electronics. Henry wasn't sure if he'd been shot, or if one of the creatures had gotten him.

He knew he should stop and tend to himself, but he also knew that if he stopped, he wouldn't get back up. If he changed he would heal faster, but he needed to get everything prepared before he did that. The pain in his side was keeping him from doing anything right now. He tried to stand back up again, but this time it proved too much. Clutching his side, he fell, face first in the snow.

"Sorry, Doc…" he murmured as he started to lose consciousness.

* * *

><p>Helen and Nikola were trying to make their way to the rest of the group. It had been hours since their last communication with Henry. Helen wasn't sure just how Nikola had contracted the virus, and against her best judgment, she had Nikola help her pack up their camp so they could track the signal from the other walkie talkie. For all she knew Henry could've already been exposed to it. They still had a few more hours of sunlight and Helen didn't want to waste it. Henry must have been in much worse shape than he'd thought he was. He would never go this long without getting in touch with her. At the most it should only have taken about 2 hours to trek to their old campsite. It had been at least 4. Helen looked back down at the walkie.<p>

"Nikola, stop." She said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I can't be sure, but, it looks as though their signal is moving," Helen looked at the screen puzzled.

"Ok, well that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"No….." she said.

"Uhh….. care to elaborate on that one?" Nikola asked rolling his eyes.

"Their signal, it's moving away from us!" she declared as her voice raised at the end that statement.

"Well, what's that supposed to mean?" Nikola whined.

"Nothing good." Helen said making a mental note of the original coordinates.

"Sometimes your powers of deduction are so….boring." Nikola grumbled. He kept walking in the direction they were headed in.

Helen turned around to face Nikola, ready to snap at him, instead she just watched him. His eyes were downcast as though he was concentrating as hard as he could on where he stepped, his arms were wrapped as tightly as they could be around his small frame, and she could see his teeth chattering.

* * *

><p>Henry woke up to something warm and furry in his face. Whatever it is, it was whining and nuzzling him like a puppy would. He opened his eyes and saw a small wolf pup looking right in his eyes. He jumped slightly and pulled his face a little farther away. Where there was a pup, there was a Mom, and he was in no shape to fend off hungry beasts of any kind. The pup bounced over to him, and promptly bit his nose.<p>

"Ow!" Henry said as he grabbed his nose, "What did you do that for?"

He moved as slowly as possible so he didn't scare or threaten the Mom which had to be close. As Henry tried to roll over, he remembered why he was laying in the snow. He groaned and moved his hand to his side. Henry expected to feel frozen blood, but was instead greeted with a warm snout. And it was much bigger than he thought a normal wolf would have. As his heart rate jumped in speed, he looked down at his wounded side. There lying next to him was the largest wolf he'd ever seen in his life, licking his wound as though he were once of its pups. His breath caught and he reached up a little higher to its face and placed his hand on its head. The wolf leaned its head into his hand, nuzzling it.

"The Amarok," he whispered.

The beast seemed to look at him with knowing eyes, and nodded? Had he seen that right?

"You understand me?"

Another nod.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

The Amarok stood up and started to push Henry, roughly. He was almost in a seated position before he realized that he wasn't feeling pain in his side anymore. Looking down he gasped, his wound was completely healed.

"You did this?" Henry asked looking at the wolf.

Another nod.

Henry reached into his pocket for the walkie talkie, he had to tell the Doc about this. Maybe there was some way that the Amarok could heal Tesla. Cursing, he realized that it wasn't there. He must have dropped it somewhere. He stood up and started looking around.

"I have to call my boss, you guys are actually the reason that we came out here," he explained, "We're with a group called the Sanctuary Network, we rescue abnormals, like you, and me."

Henry smiled as he chatted with the beast, this had to be one of the coolest things he'd experienced outside of his electronic world. As he looked around for his device, the wolf sat starring at him. It took Henry a moment to realize that something was in its mouth. It was the walkie-talkie!

"Hey! I need that!"

The Amarok simply shook its head and started running off with it.

"Damnit!"

The Amarok was fast, but Henry could change and chase it, he needed to at least let the Doc know they were ok, at least he hoped that Will and Kate were ok. Without a means of communication, it wouldn't matter much anyway. Henry changed into is wolf form and chased after the Amarok, he had to get that device back.

* * *

><p>Helen was still watching Nikola walk. He wasn't paying attention to what was in front of him, only his feet, so when he ran into Helen he jumped.<p>

"Helen…" Nikola said startled as he looked in her eyes, "I'm sorry."

Nikola stumbled for a moment as Helen's hands came up to steady him. They had only been walking for about 45 minutes and already Nikola seemed like he was having difficulty.

"What on earth for?"

"It seems like no matter what I try to do to help, I'm just fated to be the cause of so much discord," he said looking away from her.

Helen didn't see this side of Nikola very often, in fact, she didn't think she'd ever seen this side of him. She assumed he was having a hard time accepting that he was ill.

"Nikola," Helen said as she tried to move in front of his face. He had his eyes closed and turned his face away from her voice.

Helen lifted her gloved hand and moved his face back in front of her. He cracked his eyes open and Helen could see why he tried to shield his face. His eyes were brimming with tears.

"Nikola," Helen said in the softest voice she could find, "None of that. Everything is going to be okay. Don't start feeling sorry for yourself now. I will find a way to fix this."

Helen pulled her glove off of her right hand and started to wipe away the barely formed tears. That was all it took, that sincere contact with the skin of his face for him to break down. All the years of anguish he'd endured, all the time he spent wasted on his pointless endeavors, all the loneliness he'd suffered, it all came out in the form of gasping sobs as Helen held onto him while he fell into the snow.

"Shhhhh." Helen cooed. "It's ok, let it out, Nikola."

Helen sat there with him for a short time as he clutched her in his heartache.

"H…how can you still care for me after everything I've done?" he asked between sobs. "You should just leave me here!"

"Nikola!" she said pulling his face away from her chest. His face was stained with his tears and the small amount of white there was left in his eyes shown through as a dark red.

"Someone has to look after you. You won't look after yourself, and I've always cared for you Nikola. You are my oldest friend before anything else. I know what's in here," she said placing her hand to his heart, "even though you infuriate me so. I would never abandon you!"

"Now stop this pity party, before you start making me cry." Helen finished as she placed a small chased kiss on his forehead.

Helen heard him sigh, and take a few more deep breaths. His shaking didn't stop though.

"Nikola, how are you feeling?"

"You mean besides feeling incredibly depressed? I'm cold."

"Alright, let's get you back on your feet. We're almost there," Helen said pulling Nikola back to his feet, "we've only got about a quarter mile left to go, we made good time. Once we get to the original coordinates we'll set up camp again and get you warm."

Helen gave him a smile, then made a face at him.

"Heh, I don't know what it is about odd faces that make people laugh." He stated as he chuckled a little. Then his face turned stoic as he looked at her.

"Nikola, what's the matter?" Helen asked alarmed.

"No, nothing that wasn't already, just, thank you," he said throwing his arms around her again. "For everything."

Nikola placed his forehead to hers and she saw a small pained smile cross his lips for a moment. Helen took the opportunity to rub her nose against his. She felt his brow furl as he pulled away slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? An Eskimo kiss?" he laughed. "Well, a kiss is a kiss.. so, I'll take it." Nikola stuck his tongue out at her, and Helen popped his chin while it was out.

"OWW!", What was that for?" Nikola said looking at her as though she'd lost her mind.

Helen only laughed and picked up a handful of snow running away with it. Nikola forgot about his worries at the moment, he was going to get her back for that. He picked up his own handful of snow and started running after her.

"Run all you want! You have to stop sometime!" Nikola taunted.

* * *

><p>Helen vaulted over a boulder thinking that she would have the advantage over Nikola. The boulder was actually fairly large and in a lower area than the terrain they'd been running on, so when she dropped down, right into Nikola arms, she let out a loud squeal. Nikola responded by grabbing the back of her head with one hand, and rubbing his snowball right in her face with the other.<p>

As Helen spit out chunks of snow, she said, "Oh, now you're gonna get it!"

Nikola simply smiled, closed his eyes, and held out his arms, "Do your worst!"

He felt Helen come up to him and link her arm in one of his, he opened his eyes smirking and said, "Well if that's your worst, I'll have to misbehave more often."

"Nikola…." His smile faltered as he saw the look on Helen's face. "Turn around."

He sighed, not wanting this moment to end. Things were starting to feel a bit more like they were while they were at Oxford. That was back in a time when they were just over grown children, having a good time, blissfully ignorant of the world. Happy memories and good times, he didn't want to come back to reality yet. Still, he turned around and took in the devastation before him. How had the 'children' survived this?

"Oh my God, do you think they're alright?" Nikola asked, uncharacteristically concerned.

"I hope so," she said crouching down to look at something, "but it doesn't seem like they would be. I just hope we find them still alive."

Nikola recognized the scarf that Miss Freelander had dawned before they started their trek. His pulse quickened as he looked around at everything. 'Could anyone survive this?' He placed a hand to his head, he was starting to feel weak and woozy.

"Helen….." he said faintly as he fell to his knees in the snow. His body quaked with shivers. He couldn't get up. How could he go from feeling fine, to this, so quickly. Nikola wondered if this is what happened before when he'd gotten separated from the group in the beginning.

"Helen…" his voice was starting to rise in a panic. 'She said she wouldn't leave. She said she wouldn't leave me,' he kept thinking over and over. He saw the sky and trees above him, 'when had he lain down?' Nikola felt pressure on his neck, and tried to swat it away, he didn't want anything crawling on him. He was terrified, he felt so helpless, even his breathing felt forced.

Helen was at Nikola's side in a flash. She caught him as he fell. He kept whispering her name, over and over again.

"Nikola, I'm right here." She said. He continued chanting her name as though he couldn't hear her. She tried to take his pulse, but his breathing was very vocal and erratic and it didn't help that he kept swatting at her hand.

"Nikola!" she practically yelled. He was fading, Helen grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to look at her. His eyes were completely blue. This was part of the psychosis. Debilitating fear. His eyes finally recognized her. She saw the worry lines start smoothing from his face.

"Oh, God Helen, I thought you'd left me!" he cried grabbing her arm. "Please don't leave me!" he pleaded.

"I'm right here Nikola, you haven't lost me." She said running her hand through his hair. How was she going to look for the rest of her team with him in this state? He would want to be with her every step she took, and if he insisted on latching on to her the way he was now, there was no way she would find anyone.

"Nikola, I need you to sit up. I need to set up the tent so we can get you out of this weather."

"You're going to stay with me aren't you?"

"Of course I will Nikola." She sighed. "I do need to look for Henry, Kate, and William though. Will you be okay in the tent alone for a few minutes while I try to find them?" she asked as soothingly as she could.

Nikola visibly became agitated. She watched as his eyes widened and his breath quickened.

"A few minutes?" he asked in a small voice.

"Just a few, you can sit in the door of the tent and watch me as long as you promise to stay under the blankets." Helen saw him relax a little, but still had the panic stricken look to his face.

"Ok, just a few minutes." He paused. "Don't go where I won't be able to see you. Please."

Helen pulled him into a tight hug. Not yet, this can't be happening so quickly. At this rate he wouldn't make it to the Sanctuary. He was reacting as if he were a frightened child. Helen sighed.

"I promise, Nikola, I will stay in eyesight."

Helen buried her face in his neck. She felt his pulse racing and cuddled him even more.

"Come on," she said pulling him to his feet. He was still a little shaky on his feet, so she led him to a rock to sit down. "Sit here, I'm going to set up the tents."

"Ok," Nikola said in a strained voice. And he watched, like a hawk, every move as she pulled out all the components to assemble them.


	6. Bloody Tents

Ugg…. I feel so bad! I feel like I've been neglectful to my fic and to everyone who's been reading! Bad me… I've been scouring other fics because I wanted to read! Sorry for the short chapter.. I felt guilty that it's been so long since I posted..

* * *

><p>Ice<p>

Chapter 6

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><p>"Why do I need to take off my clothes?" Nikola whined as Helen started to tug his jacket off. "Don't I need them to stay warm?"<p>

"Nikola…" Helen sighed. She hadn't needed to explain so much to anyone since Ashley was little. Part of her wondered if he was doing it deliberately to keep her in the tent with him. "As you warm up, the snow and ice on your clothing will start to melt. The last thing I need to happen to you is for you to be wet, and cold. You need to stay dry."

"Alright," he protested, allowing Helen to help him out of his jacket. Next his boots were off and his pants. He stood in the middle of the tent in nothing but his thermals.

"I fail to see how this is going to keep me warm," Nikola said as he wrapped his arms around his body to try and stop from shaking.

Helen placed one of the blankets on the floor next to the door. She looked over at Nikola, his eyes were closed, teeth were chattering, and he was shaking uncontrollably. She was trying to be patient with him, she really was, but the others were out there. She didn't know their condition, she was afraid for them, afraid to find them and discover she was too late.

Helen took off her jacket and her boots and walked over to her back pack. She pulled out her emergency medical kit to see what she had in it.

"Nikola, I'd like to give you something to make you feel a little less on edge, is that ok?" Helen sat in front of her pack eying the sedative.

"I trust you Helen, I know that I'm sick, and I hate admitting it, but it's frightening. I felt fine and then from out of nowhere…" he trailed off as he sat down on the warm blanket beneath him. He sat with his knees drawn to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. "Anything you can do so that I don't have to go through that panic again," he said as though it disgusted him, "would be preferable."

As he talked Helen prepared a syringe full of the sedative. She got up and walked over to him. She placed the syringe on the ground next to them and pulled the second blanket over his shivering form. Feeling how bad he was quaking she put her arms around him in a hug. Nikola leaned into her embrace.

"I'll stay here with you until it starts working. Most likely it will put you to sleep." She heard him inhale sharply as he turned his head to look at her. "It's alright Nikola, I won't be far, and I'll come back to check on you every 5-10 minutes."

Helen picked up the syringe and expertly slid it into one of his veins. Nikola winced slightly as the needle entered his skin. He could feel the liquid being emptied into his body, it had a welcome warm sensation.

"Helen, thank you for taking care of me, I am sorry I'm such a burden though," his words started to slur slightly, and his eyes drooped, "I love you Helen." It came out as a whisper as he lost consciousness and fell into her.

Helen sat for a moment with him in her arms. "I love you too Nikola." She said as she felt a few tears slide down her cheeks. She gently laid him down and fixed the blanket around him. He looked so at peace right now. God only knows how he will be once he wakes. Helen leaned down close to his face, watching him breathe. Her eyes were still being uncooperative and she had to wipe her tears from his cheeks.

"I do love you, you infuriating man. Maybe once you stop being such a cocky bastard we can give it a try." Helen captured his lips in a kiss. "Until then, the only willing kisses you'll get out of me are when you're asleep."

Helen thought her eyes were playing tricks on her as she looked down at his sleeping form. For a split second she thought she saw a small smile grace his lips. Her fingers started to trace the outline of those lips and then cupped her hand to his temple. She didn't want to leave him alone. Helen sighed and stood up putting her jacket and boots back on. She cast one last look at him before exiting the tent. Now where were the children?

* * *

><p>There was devastation everywhere in the immediate vicinity. Helen walked closer to where the camp had been to resume looking around. Helen heard an ear piercing scream rip through the air. Her heart fluttered momentarily with shock, but it was soon replaced with a flood of relief. It meant at least one of them was alive. She couldn't tell where the scream originated from, so she started yelling herself.<p>

"Hello! Kate! Will! Henry!" she belted out into the sky. "Where are you?"

Helen heard the sound of running and stumbling in the snow, she turned in that direction. Not long passed when she saw Kate stumbling towards her trying to run as though the devil was on her heels. Helen didn't like what she saw. She'd seen Kate disheveled before, but she almost looked crazed. She had a gash on her forehead above her eye that spanned about 4 inches. It looked like it stopped bleeding a while ago.

Helen being alarmed at the sight of the normally unnerved Kate, ran the last few feet to her.

"My God, Kate….. what happened?" Helen said as she reached her.

Kate threw her arms around Helen and started to cry.

"Doc.. I don't know what happened! We were fighting then I was suddenly waking up in the bitter cold. I can't find them! I can't find either of them! I don't know if they're ok."

Kate looked like she was about to start hyperventilating. Helen grabbed the sides of the woman's head and made her look in her eyes.

"Don't you dare start to panic on me Miss Freelander. You're not alone anymore. We're going to find them." Helen smiled at her.

Kate observed Helen's face for a moment and took a deep breath. "You found Magneto though didn't you?"

"I did," Helen paused, "I'm afraid he isn't doing well."

Helen looked away from the younger woman as the last part of that sentence came out. Helen didn't know what had gone wrong. Then a thought occurred to her that she decided to keep to herself. She would need to make sure she kept her eyes a bit more open than she had been if her hypothesis was correct.

"Kate, let's get to your old camp and see what we can salvage." Helen said as she wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders, "Oh, and you dropped this." Helen handed her the scarf she'd found on the ground.

Kate smiled slightly and took the scarf. "Thanks Doc."

Helen and Kate trudged through the snow cover ground towards the camp site.

"Dear Lord!" Helen exclaimed when she saw the wreckage. There was blood everywhere inside one of the tents. "Did they ambush you while you were asleep?"

"Yeah, they caught us with our pants down." Kate said as she kicked a piece of the broken tent. "This one was Will's," she said in a whisper.

Helen sighed, "Collect what we can use, especially blankets. I don't know how long it'll take Declan to get out here, so I want to be prepared in case it's going to be a while."


	7. Trust

So sorry for the long wait guys! I tried to make up for it with more twists in the story and length..

As always, I don't own Sanctuary or any of its characters!

* * *

><p>Ice<p>

Chapter 7

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><p>Slowly opening his eyes, Will could only see a blinding white light. Nothing would come into focus and he felt drugged and sluggish. He tried to sit up only to find that he had no strength. He wanted to explore this area he was in, but his body wouldn't oblige, he could barely even lift his head. Something walked up to him and he felt something frigid placed on his forehead. It actually felt pretty nice. He was not, however, prepared to hear a voice inside his mind, but not through his ears.<p>

"_You have been severely injured, we are unsure of your intensions-therefore have not fully restored you. We've only brought you back from the brink of death."_

Will tried to speak, but he was unable to form any words. As curious as he was he couldn't help but feel a little scared. Not being able to move or see was a bit frightening.

"_You need but speak with your mind and I will be able to hear your thoughts. You haven't the strength for speech."_

"_Where am I, who are you, why can't I move, or see, what happened…" a hand came up to his chest_

"_Calm down. We are the Amarok, you are at our village. You were too damaged for our younglings to heal you where you were found, so they brought you here to us. We're referred to as the ancient ones by our clan."_

"_The Amarok? I thought that the Amarok was a peaceful species of WOLF! "_

"_Ah, but we are. Only the ancient ones can transform into a being similar to your species. But please, tell me of your intentions. I do not wish your light to fade, but I must know if you can be trusted."_

"_I'm with a group called the Sanctuary, we find and protect as many abnormal species as we can. We don't wish you any harm, we didn't know that you were capable of communicating with us in such an advanced way."_

"_So you mean to take us away from our home then?"_

"_No…..No, no. only if you wish it. To the best of our knowledge your species was extinct. We would never remove you from your home unless it was what you wished."_

There was a long pause where there was no communication. Will shifted uneasily where he lay. He didn't like being in such a prone position, especially with his life on the line based on his answers.

Will felt a shift in the air around him, it was almost like a static charge. It was similar to what happened when Tesla started having a fit. He closed his eyes and prayed. It wasn't something he had done for a very long time. He didn't want to die not yet.

"_Your thoughts and your heart agree with one another. Your heart is true. I do believe you can be trusted. Open your eyes and take in all before you."_

* * *

><p>"…<em>.they're not after me, there after you aren't they….?"<em>

"_I see you haven't lost your touch either.."_

Nikola tossed and turned as his memories haunted his sleep…

"_I thought you loved me?"_

"…_. Yeh, well... I don't think it's going to work out.."_

_Nikola looked down at his mid-section and saw a hand protruding through the front of his stomach. The pain was knee bucking._

Nikola jolted awake. His heart was racing, he was freezing, dizzy, and everything was a blur. He couldn't tell where he was. Clutching the blanket tightly around himself, he sat up and started scooting back until he was leaning against something. Nikola remembered being with Helen, they were in a tent and she was looking for someone. He was so confused and disoriented. He knew that he loved Helen, but he was scared. She hated him, why would he be here with her if she didn't care? Nikola shook his head as though he were trying to clear the cobwebs. Nothing was making sense. Not trusting himself to stand, he crawled in the direction he'd come from to see if he could find his gear.

"This must be what it feels like to be blind." He whimpered as he felt around the floor of the tent.

After what seemed to be an eternity he felt the slick fabric of his gear. Breathing a sigh of relief he verified which articles were which and got dressed. His vision was slowly becoming clearer, but everything had a blue haze to it. Things were still blurry, but at least he could mostly make out what was in front of him instead of hoping he found what he needed.

* * *

><p>"Ok, I think that's all that we're going to be able to find that's salvageable." Helen said as she looked over everything one more time.<p>

They managed to save 2 blankets, a tent, a few firearms, one stunner, and some random electronics. The portable communications array that came with them was in pieces, but all they needed was to find Henry and he could rig something to work.

As Helen and Kate made their way back to Nikola, Helen saw movement outside of the tent. Helen let out a low growl.

"Damnit!"

"What is it Doc?" Kate asked.

"Someone's outside our tent." Helen said putting down what she was carrying. She opted to hand on to the stunner.

"Whoa there, couldn't it just be Tesla?"

"Unlikely, I gave him enough sedative to keep him asleep for hours."

"Still, shouldn't we check it out before we go in, oh, I don't know, all guns blazing and everything? Ya know, for someone British, you sure are acting pretty American right now."

Helen glared at the younger woman for a moment, then let out a light laugh.

"I suppose you're right, can't have me acting like some simpleton." Helen insinuated chancing a glance at Kate. It was her turn to glare now. "Still, just to be safe I'm going to hang onto the stunner."

"You need someone to test it, make sure it works? Kate asked snidely.

"Ha ha.. okay, I think that's quite enough."

"You just wanted to get the last word in."

"Maybe…"

"See!" Kate exclaimed spinning on her heels and pointing.

"I think you might actually be living up to the nickname Nikola's given you… The Children, quite apropos." Helen laughed..

Proving her point Kate crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Helen won that round. She wondered how much of this performance she was going to have to do to keep her team morals up. It was slightly humorous, but starting to grate a little.

"You go around the back of the tent, I'll go around the front." Helen said to Kate.

Kate pulled out her gun and cocked it, she nodded.

* * *

><p>Helen tried to use her environment as much as she could to shield her from the eyes of whoever it was outside the tent. She worried for Nikola, hoping that he wasn't their intended target. Vampire or no, he still was brilliant, and that knowledge could be used to do many things, terrible or good. As she neared the tent she mumbled a silent curse as a frozen branch crunched underfoot.<p>

"Wh…Who's there?" she heard a voice say.

It can't be Nikola, she thought. She had only been gone for about an hour. Taking the stunner she fired at something unimportant at the intruder's feet.

"Ahhh! Who the hell is that! Helen it had better be you!" She heard a panicked voice say.

"Nikola?" Helen asked, "You should be asleep."

"And you were supposed to check on me, you promised. I've been here for at least 20 minutes and haven't heard a peep from you, then you show up and shoot at me?"

"I'm sorry, I was concerned for your safety!"

That comment earned a glare. Helen looked down, saying that you were concerned for someone's safety, then shooting at them wasn't exactly going to earn you points with them.

"I am sorry Nikola, I didn't think you could be awake, that sedative should've kept you asleep for hours."

Helen walked closer to him and he began to shy away. Every step closer she got to him, he moved another 2 behind.

"Kate, it's alright! You were right, it is Nikola!" Helen shouted.

"Nikola, what's the matter?" Helen asked concerned.

"Why do you care, Helen?" he asked bitterly.

"Nikola…" Helen looked at him perplexed and dropped her arms to her sides. "Why would you say that?" she walked forward again.

"Don't come any closer, Helen." Nikola backed away again. "How do I know that you don't have Johnny on stand-by just waiting for the opportunity to stick his arm through me again?"

"Nikola, that was 3 years ago, and you were a vampire then."

"And I can't still worry about it!" he shouted.

Helen was trying to keep her emotions reigned in, it was hard. She fought telling him how she really felt, she wasn't ready for that admission yet.

"Nikola, I…."

"You what, Helen?"

"I'm trying to help you, stop running from me!"

"Not another step, stay away!"

By this time Kate had already come up behind him and was close enough to grab him. Helen tried to hide the relief she felt by this new situation. Nikola knew her too well though and he could tell something was amiss. He turned his head slightly and caught sight of movement behind him. He moved quickly avoiding the grapple he would have had with Kate. And Kate head planted in the snow.

"Ummmphh", she landed with a thud.

"Ha! See, I knew you were up to something."

Helen and Kate were both in front of him now. So much for an ambush, Helen thought.

"Nikola, please, you're not well. Let me help you."

"I don't know if I like your brand of help, Helen."

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way then." Helen pointed the stunner at Nikola, "You have about 10 seconds to get your ass back in that tent, or I will shoot you, and drag you in myself."

Nikola looked at her horrified, "How absolutely barbaric of you."

"1…"

"You wouldn't shoot me really would you?"

"2…"

"Helen…."

"4…"

"What happened to 3?"

"6…"

Nikola looked as though he was considering doing what she'd said.

"8…."

Then he looked back up at her. She recognized that look. It was his determined look. He wasn't going to do it. She started aiming the stunner.

"Nikola, get inside."

"I think not," he said as he took off running.

Helen missed him by only a second. She started after him, and noticed that he wasn't in her line of sight really anymore. He'd stowed a sled left behind by the group that attacked her people and was riding it down a steep hill.

"Damnit! Kate!"

"What?" she said right behind Magnus.

"Bloody hell, you startled me."

"What do we do Doc?"

"We have to try and follow him. He's not exactly in complete command of his faculties right now. We can't let this get any worse. The longer he stays exposed the quicker his body will submit to his illness"

"Ok, soo….." Kate made the continuation motion with her hands.

"I'll go this way, you go that way. We'll wait to actually split up until we get to the bottom of this hill"

"Sounds good."

"Don't kill him," Helen said realizing that she was the only one with a stunner. "Just wing him."

"I know, I know, no serious damaged to lover boy." Kate said batting her eyelashes.

"Kate you are stepping dangerously close to a line." She bluffed.

Kate straitened up and said, "Sorry boss."

"Come on, we don't have a whole lot of time. Nikola's symptoms are progressing much faster than I anticipated."

Kate looked at her with that knowing stare and put her hand on Helen's shoulder.

"We'll find him, Doc, we always do." She said reassuringly.

"I know, but the question is, will we be too late?" Helen looked off in the distance trying to see if there was still any movement.

* * *

><p>It seemed like Helen and Kate had split their company hours ago. It had only been a few minutes. Kate was following the only set of marks in the snow that looked like they could be from a human. Plus she'd seen the trail that was left by the sled he'd used. It must be getting heavy to him, he wasn't carrying it anymore. She held her breath as she heard a curse.<p>

"Ahhhhh.. Damnit.."

Kate peeked out to see Nikola looking down another slope. The sled wasn't with him anymore. She smiled. He must have dropped it. He snapped his head around and began looking around in a panic. He really looked like he'd lost it. No wonder the Doc was so worried about him. Maybe if she just tried to reason with him. She hated doing it, but she put her gun away and stepped out into the open.

"Hey, Tesla.. What's going on? Why's the Doc so worried about you?" She asked.

Nikola looked as though he was going to leap out of his skin.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was looking for you."

"Why? You don't even like me."

"Not true. You're not so bad when you settle down some and get used to everyone." Kate smiled at him.

"What do you want, to watch me fade away? I don't trust you. You're Helen's hired gun. You're going to take me back there to her aren't you?" He stepped backwards.

"Tesla don't!" she shouted at him.

"Don't what? Backup? I'm not going to go with you." he said as he took a few more steps back.

"Damn.." Kate started running towards him. Just as she neared him, his foot slipped. Well she thought it slipped, the top of the slope gave way and he started to fall into it.

"Ahhhh.." Nikola looked bug eyed as he saw what was beneath him.

Kate got there just in time to grab Nikola's hand before he tumbled over the edge.

"DOC!" she screamed as loud as she could.

Helen heard the scream, and it didn't sound like it was that far away. She ran, she knew she was headed in the right direction now, she saw sled marks in the snow.

"KATE!"

"Here Doc!"

As Helen rounded the bend she saw Kate leaned over and edge looking like she was struggling with something.

"Keep her away from me!" Nikola hissed as he tried to wrench his hand free.

"Stop struggling, you're gonna fall, and it's a long way down Tesla!"

"I don't care!"

"Noooooooo!" Kate watch in wide eyed horror as everything moved in slow motion. His hand slipped out of the glove he was wearing, and for what seemed like the first time he noticed how far it was to the bottom. Nikola's eyes locked with Kate's as she tried to reach out again, but her fingers only grazed the tips of his. He looked so scared, and it was like a moment of complete clarity hit him.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed as he fell. The last thing he saw was Helen come up beside Kate looking very much out of breath and scared.

"Nikola!" he had never heard Helen sound so terrified or look so lost.

There was a sickening thud as Nikola careened to the bottom of the cliff. Helen and Kate looked on in terrified fascination how there was no blood, but there was obviously a broken bone, maybe more. Helen stepped back as though something hit her chest the way she clutched it. She could still see Nikola lying in a heap where he fell. She saw what looked like a steam vent open up a few meters away from him. Then there was a horrifying cracking sound as everything rumbled around them. Helen saw what appeared to be webbing spread out from where Nikola lay. It was a bloody lake. Helen could only think of one word that she never made part of her repertoire.

"Shit."


	8. I've Got You

I seem to be apologizing to everyone a lot lately. I'm back to not having stable internet again.. Sigh.. This story will be wrapping up soon.. maybe 2 more chapters.. 3 at the most! If anyone has any suggestions for something they'd like to see me work on, shoot me a line and let me know! :)

* * *

><p>Ice<p>

Chapter 8

* * *

><p>Henry was starting to get tired. He didn't know how long he'd been following the Amarok, but he was starting to have doubts on if it was smart to travel so far away from his friends. In hindsight, he definitely believed this wasn't one of his better decisions. Clothes, he growled at himself, he couldn't change back without freezing his butt off. He didn't remember a time when he'd stayed as his alter ego for so long. He hoped it didn't have any adverse effects on him. He didn't want to forget who he was, if that was even an option.<p>

As the tall rocks jutting from the ground became closer, he silently hoped that they were getting near their destination. He had plenty of endurance, but this was pushing it, even for him. He didn't even know if he was still on the Amarok's trail.

A sad howl tore through the air, and Henry paused for a minute. He heard at least 3 other howls immediately after. What happened next was a blur. Henry felt pain radiating down the entire length of his back, head to heel, as he was thrust against the rock face. Someone had used his own invention against him, he mused, now he knew how Tesla felt. It was the electrified net that they used to capture some of the more resistant abnormals. The last thing he expected to hear was a voice he recognized.

"Mr. Foss, we've been expecting you."

* * *

><p>Once Helen was over the initial shock of what had just happened, she immediately took the rope from around her chest and tied it off on a tree that was near the Cliffside. She had to get down there as fast as she could. She refused to believe that Nikola was dead. They looked like they were at the equivalent of a 5 story building high, and there was snow before the ice. Nikola would be hurt, there was no doubt about that, but at least he wouldn't be in a position to run away from them anymore.<p>

"Kate, I need your rope."

"Are you sure it's long enough?"

"Of course it is." Helen said slightly exasperated. "Only one of us need go down there, there's less risk that way. So please, if anything happens and I'm unable to lug Nikola out by myself, I'll need you on stand-by to pull him up."

"Doc…" Kate said drawing it out, "Are you su…"

Helen cut her off before she could finish her statement. "I need you to run as quickly as you can back where the tent is, or where we dropped out things, I need one of those blankets, if not two. See if there is another sled around there at all, we're going to need it. It's not that far down, Kate. Don't forget, even though Nikola isn't a vampire anymore, he's still abnormal and that counts for something." She paused, "I won't leave without him."

Kate seemed to understand, "Alright, let's do this."

* * *

><p>Nikola was trying so hard to open his eyes. He couldn't feel anything, scratch that, his left leg felt very, very cold. The sensation seemed to be very slowly encompassing both of his legs. He was very groggy and disoriented. He knew he shouldn't go to sleep, he couldn't remember why though, he was so tired. Nikola wanted to move, but his body just wouldn't cooperate. He thought he heard voices above him. It was so distant, as though they were just carried in on the wind. Then he heard a voice that he recognized call out to him.<p>

"Nikola! Nikola, don't move, I'm coming down for you. Please just don't move!"

"…Helen…" he whispered barely even loud enough for himself to hear.

He could do anything for Helen, anything at all. He just couldn't remember how he ended up in this predicament. He very wearily began to open his eyes, not understanding why it seemed to be such a chore. He was surrounded by snow, and ice. Ice, that meant his legs were cold and almost numb because they were slipping into water. Nikola cursed his luck, and tried to find his voice again. He saw Helen repelling down to where he was, he had to warn her.

"Helen," he said again still not loud enough. He heard cracking all around him. Nikola repeated Helen's name over and over again, hoping that soon it would be loud enough for her to hear.

"Nikola?" she said after what seemed to be the thousandth time he called her. "Thank goodness, I'm almost there, don't panic."

"Helen, the ice is giving under my weight."

"Nikola, I can barely hear you. I'll be there in a moment."

He whimpered, he didn't' want Helen to get stuck in this. Nikola took a deep breath and summoning all the strength he could he yelled.

"Helen, STOP!"

The tone in Nikola's voice was the only thing that stopped her from putting her foot down on the ice. She'd already come all the way down, and was only 2 feet from the surface of the lake.

"What is it?"

"The ice…" was all Helen heard. She inhaled sharply understanding what Nikola meant. She looked down at him willing it to not be as bad as she feared. He still looked as though he were above the water. Looking closer though, she was able to see that his feet were in fact, submerged and that the back of his left leg was as well.

"Damnit." She said as she wound the rope around her leg to stop her descent. "Nikola, I've made a loop at the end of this rope, I'm going to throw it to you. You need to put it over your head and under your arms so I can haul you out of there."

Helen could see Nikola's eyes starting to slide shut, from the looks of things there didn't appear to be much time.

"Nikola!" she shouted. She saw his eyes start to flutter open. "There you are. Did you hear me? I'm going to throw you this rope, take the loop and place it over your head, under your arms. It's a slip knot so tighten it around you when you get it on."

"I'll try…" he said.

"No, Nikola, you'll do.. I can't do it for you. Please, don't give up."

"Helen, I can't feel anything but cold. Everything is starting to go numb." He slurred as he spoke.

"Stay with me Nikola, just long enough to get the rope on, please."

There was a sigh, "Ok." He said knowing she wouldn't accept any other answer.

Helen tossed him the rope. It landed on his right hand. Nikola chuckled a little until he tried to move that arm.

"Son of a….." he cried.

"What is it Nikola?"

"My….my arm, I can't move it!" he stammered.

"It must be broken. You'll have to use the other one, Nikola."

That being said he started to move the other arm, so far so good, until he reached over his chest. Another wave of pain enveloped him but he pushed past it. He needed to get that rope. He could feel himself slipping further into the freezing water. If he didn't get it now, he wasn't going to get another chance. Wiggling the fingers on the arm that was broken, he managed to get the rope underneath that hand. When he didn't think he could handle any more pain, he'd finally managed to reach the rope with the other. Letting himself fall back once he had it nearly took all the breath out of him that he had. His movements further complicated his rescue by making him slide further under the water. His legs were now completely submerged, and his waist was tipping ever so slightly as the piece of ice under him struggled to hold his weight. He pulled the rope over his head and under the other arm.

"I'm… going… to… pass... out… now…" he huffed.

Just as he'd gotten the last words out, the last of the ice from under him slid completely out, and he was dunked into the water.

Helen gasped and started to pull the other rope. She'd had Kate take it around another tree so she could use it as a pulley. She didn't see Nikola resurface. She'd known that his leg was broken, but now, she is fairly certain that at least one of his ribs is broken and an arm. She pulled as fast as she could until she finally felt tension on the rope. She pulled, she saw the slipknot. Twice more, she saw Nikola's head come out of the water. He sputtered and coughed as he filled his lungs with air.

Helen kept pulling, she hoped Kate would really hurry, Nikola's weight plus the extra water soaking his clothing was becoming taxing.

"Kate!" Helen yelled. She was answered by silence.

"Nikola, stay with me." Helen winced for him every time he bumped anything while she pulled the rope. Nikola didn't make any sound or movement what-so-ever as he was dragged across the short space on the ice over to her. 'He's either unconscious or he's concentrating on trying to stay warm. Either way, he's probably numb to everything anyway.' She thought. Exposure to the freezing water must have been too much for his battered body to handle. Now all she had to do was get him out of here.

* * *

><p>Kate was moving just as fast as her small body would allow through the snow covered ground. They'd actually come a bit farther than she initially thought.<p>

"Smart little bastard." She said under her breath.

Even in whatever condition Tesla was currently in, he still managed to make everything as complicated as possible. She wanted to shoot him… but in all honesty, that really isn't all that different from normal. There was only so much belly aching she could deal with in a single day and that man seemed to make it his mission to test her patience daily. Never had she heard any one, ever whine so much! Helen explained to her the dire circumstance they were faced with in Nikola's condition. She almost felt sorry for him… ALMOST. She felt the need to add yet another almost in there. He really brought all that misery on himself most of the time. Kate just figured that it was to get the Doc's attention. Sometimes she thought her boss was a little blind to the man's affections towards her, then again, she probably knew exactly what was going on in that so-called genius brain of his.

Finding the blankets that had been discarded, Kate picked them up and looked around to see if there was in fact another sled as the Doc suggested. After about 5 minutes of searching, she found one. It was a little banged up, there was a board missing and another one was cracked, but Tesla didn't weigh much and she didn't think they would have to use it for long.

Smiling, Kate placed both blankets on the sled and scooted it towards the slope that Tesla escaped from them down. If he could do it, so could she, and she would have fun with it! Tipping the sled she squealed gleefully as she rocketed down the slope, it shouldn't take her very long to reach the Doc now.

* * *

><p>Helen was still pulling the rope as hard as she could, Nikola was almost within reach. Four more tugs and he was within her grasp. Using her other leg she wound the rope suspending Nikola around it. She called to him first.<p>

"Nikola, can you hear me?" she asked. "Nikola."

Helen pulled on his jacket so he was facing her. His face was ghastly pale, under his eyes were purple, and his lips blue. She placed a skilled finger on his jugular, willing a pulse to be present. There was, and it was very faint. Helen didn't realize that she had been holding her breath until it tumbled out of her. She placed her hand to his cheek.

"Oh, Nikola."

Helen inhaled sharply as she was not expecting Nikola's eyes to spring open in that instant. She couldn't help but stare, dumbfounded, that his eyes were almost clear again.

"Next time just shoot me," he said very weakly.

His teeth weren't chattering, and he wasn't shaking at all. This was not a good sign as far as hypothermia. But his eyes, it was unmistakable that the virus seemed to be suppressed somehow. She wondered if it had anything at all to do with his other injuries. Being in that much pain, it had to be it.

Helen only smiled faintly at him, "Only if you plan on sticking around long enough for target practice."

Helen very gently pulled him into a lose hug.

"Kate should be back very soon with a sled and some blankets for you. We'll get you bundled up and warm. Try to keep frostbite at bay for as long as possible. Just stay with me, please Nikola."

"I didn't know I was going anywhere." Came his weak and dazed response.

"A little too closely, I'm afraid."

Helen saw snow and pebbles begin to fall from overhead.

"Doc! I'm back!"

"Thank God." Helen whispered.

Nikola chuckled momentarily until there was a tug on his rope pulling both him and Helen upwards.

"Oooffff." Was the only response from Nikola, and a wince.

Helen smiled ever so slightly, at least something on this God forsaken trip was starting to go right.

* * *

><p>Henry slowly opened his eyes finding himself inside of a cell. He tried to move, but there were bindings he couldn't break.<p>

"Well, well, it's good to have you back with us Mr. Foss." A voice came from out of the darkness.

"Who the hell are you? Why do you sound familiar?"

Stepping into the light was someone that the entire Sanctuary network had been looking for since the exploit with Big Bertha.

"I would think that it was quite obvious who I was. Me and my organization. You can call us 'The Ire.' I won't rest until I have Helen Magnus! Where is she?" he questioned as both his sets of eye lids blinked.


	9. The Amarok

I know this has been an anticipated chapter… my muse left me for a little while, while I was dealing with some.. we'll say issues.. BUT I'm back now… and my updates will be more regular..

As for the disclaimer… Do you really think I own Sanctuary?

* * *

><p>Ice<p>

Chapter 9

* * *

><p>Will looked around at everything with childlike amazement. He honestly felt like he'd walked right in to a page of one of Henry's comic books. There were structures made of ice everywhere. They were in some kind of ice cavern. The ice had to be thick to protect them from the outside conditions, but the light filtered through, illuminating the entire cavern so they could see. It reminded him of lying at the bottom of the pool looking up at the bright sky.<p>

There were smaller dwellings for the younger Amarok, and house-like lodgings for the Ancient Ones. There was no separation from the Ancient Ones and the young, suggesting that they lived a comfortable existence in close proximity to one another. He really wished that he had his camera so that he could document this. He tried to convince himself in many ways the need to do such a thing, but he knew that he just really wanted to take pictures.

He didn't know what the Ancient One did to him, but he was now able to communicate telepathically at will with them. It no longer meant they had to be in constant contact.

"_What did you do? How am I still able to communicate with you telepathically?"_

"_When I heal someone, there is an imprint of myself left behind. You will find that you can only communicate with me and those of my lineage."_

"_Is it permanent?"_

"_I do not know. No one that has been healed has stayed longer than 14 cycles of light."_

"_Any idea what the distance is that you can reach?"_

"_There is no limit to the distance, you need only to see who you are trying to contact in your mind, and say their name."_

"_That's amazing."_

The Ancient One tensed for a moment and closed its eyes. A look of sadness took over its face.

"_Some of our younglings have come across one of your traveling companions. He is being held by a strange reptilian man."_

* * *

><p>Nikola watched everything that was happening around him. None of it felt real. He couldn't feel the rest of his body, he knew he had broken bones, but for some reason being dragged and shifted around like he were a ragdoll didn't cause him any pain. He couldn't remember why he should be concerned, he couldn't focus. His thoughts and vision were clouded and he was fighting just to keep his eyes open. Helen's face would appear in front of his, her hands on his cheeks, she was trying to say something to him, but he couldn't understand what it was. So, he just smiled at her. Helen was so beautiful, even with her mask of worry.<p>

Helen moved her hands to his leg, looking down at it Nikola realized that there was something off about it. His leg was lying at an angle that was…wrong. Nikola was only vaguely aware of Helen pulling off his external layer. Helen's face appeared in front of his once more, he still couldn't quite make out what she was saying, she's sorry? What was she sorry for?

A blast of pain brought Nikola back in full force to his surroundings. He screamed as Helen set his broken leg. She'd already made a splint for his leg and was tying it to him. His breathing was fast and ragged. Gone was the serene half asleep look from his face. Helen moved near his head again.

"You back with us now?" she asked as she cupped his cheek again.

Nikola tried to say something, but either the cold or the pain made his words unintelligible. So he slowly and jerkily nodded.

"Ok, Nikola, there is one more bone that I need to set, I know it hurts, and you most likely have a concussion, just bear with me while I do this ok? Try to stay awake."

Nikola looked at her and she could see the fear creeping into his face where there was already a shroud of pain.

"Niko, you're going to be ok, don't forget that I'm a doctor, we will beat this." After saying what she did to Nikola, she moved her hands to his arm, leaned over, kissed his forehead, when she pulled away Nikola was wearing a slight pained smile and his eyes were closed. She pulled his arm forcing the bone back into its proper place. He let out a loud gasp followed by a groan. Darkness was stealing into the edges of his vision and his eyes were beginning to feel very heavy.

Helen had just finished splinting his arm and was about to wrap his ribs when she noticed he was struggling to keep his eyes open. She gently put his arm down and grasped his temples tilting his head up to look at her.

"Nikola, don't you give up.. stay with me.."

Nikola was bewildered, he wasn't giving up, his eyes were just so heavy. He tried to convey this to her, but his vision gave out as he succumbed to his exhaustion. The hand he had been trying to reach out with fell back down to his side.

"Nikola…Nikola!"

Helen watched his eyes roll back and sighed. She knew that his body had been through a traumatic ordeal, he just simply didn't have any strength left. His chest was still rising and falling, though even in his sleep his breathing was labored. His pulse was weak but steady. She wrapped his ribs and immobilized his arm against his torso. She could only hope that his concussion wasn't as bad as she feared and that he would in fact wake up.

"Kate, help me lift him." Helen said moving to his upper torso. "Be careful you don't pull on his leg too much, I won't be able to tell how good a set that was until we get him back."

Helen thanked the powers that be that Kate was able to find a sled that was built for carrying cargo. They were able to sit him upright and wrap him as though he were in a cocoon with both blankets. Helen hated to turn the heat up full blast on the blankets, but she needed to get him warmed up, and simple body heat wasn't going to be enough this time. There were already ice crystals clinging to his wet hair.

* * *

><p>"You!" Henry exclaimed.<p>

"Yes, me." A reptilian face leered at him from the shadows.

"Why are you doing this Wexford?"

"Tisk, tisk.. did you forget what happened after I was stripped of my title? As if the sheer humiliation of losing my position wasn't enough, all of my assets were frozen and I was, for lack of a better phrase, abandoned by my fellow abnormals."

"That wasn't the Doc's fault. It was your own!" Henry said struggling against his bindings.

"I'm sure you recognize the bindings Mr. Foss. Titanium webbing, vampire proof, remember? I doubt you'll be able to break your way out of those."

"You won't get away with this Wexford." Henry growled.

"Sticks and stones I'm afraid. For the most part, I already have."

* * *

><p>"I .. am.. so glad… he's unconscious … right now." Kate said between huffs.<p>

Helen only laughed, "Yes, the situation we've all found ourselves in would most definitely add fuel to his ever growing ego."

"We're almost there, right?" Kate asked.

"Should be just beyond that tree line." Helen said pointing.

"Whoa! Doc.. hands back on the rope!" Kate wheezed almost slipping, "This would be a piece of cake if we weren't going uphill."

"Sorry," Helen said smiling, "I must say that it is quite unusual for you to show such concern for Nikola."

"It's not just about him right now… but back there.. he wasn't ..HIM… Doc." Kate sighed in relief as they reached the top of the slope. "I saw it in his eyes.. it…it was a moment of unabated clarity. He looked absolutely terrified like he didn't know how he'd gotten there, or how he was falling. It's like his eyes were screaming at me, 'Oh my God, help me!'."

Kate paused in her explanation to close her eyes. Helen understood how she felt, being forced to watch helplessly as something happens you are unable to control. She reached out her hand and placed it on Kate's shoulder.

"You don't have to re-live it Kate. It's ok."

Kate opened her eyes and allowed a single tear to fall. "It was just….. so very unnerving to see. Tesla's never really shown any true emotion around me before, so, I guess I just assumed he didn't have anything but an on switch for getting pissed." She paused again. "It made me realize just how human he is, especially now."

Helen smiled, "You should have seen him back in Oxford." she walked over to Nikola and crouched down next to him. "He was brilliant, of course, the problem was that he knew it. Boys will be boys though, even the intelligent ones," Helen ran her fingers through Nikola's hair, "When they realized that they really couldn't beat or match Nikola intellectually, they resorted to violence. He didn't show up for classes for two days, it was very unlike him, so I went to his dormitory to check on him. I found him, door unlocked, curled up in the window, sobbing. He'd been badly beaten, one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut, and he was cradling a broken arm. He was ready to quit. He refused to leave the dormitory even to see a doctor. I had to beg my father to come to him. I'd never seen my father so furious before as he was when he assessed Nikola's condition. 'All because of a superior intellect' he kept saying."

Helen moved over to his upper torso, "Get his feet, let's get him into the tent."

When they walked in, everything was just as she'd left it. They gingerly set him down, and Helen worked on unwinding the blankets from his body.

"Nikola's no stranger to pain, emotional or otherwise. He wears his arrogance as a shield, trying not to let anyone too close. It's enough to make me want to throttle him at times. I learned that I was the one to give him strength in those early days. He was so full of self-doubt, though you'd never know it to be around him. I had to tell all of the instructors that he was very ill, and I needed to take his assignments to him. He wouldn't leave that room until at the very least his eye looked somewhat normal. It took a while before he stopped flinching at human contact. He was very sickly the first week I was there with him. I ended up staying there nursing him through his fever, he was so weak he could barely stand. Complications from waiting too long to see a doctor with his broken arm and not eating properly. He always was one to test the boundaries of his body's endurance. Not thinking to take care of himself until he very nearly passed out from exhaustion or lack of food. It's one of the reasons that I've insisted on him staying at the Sanctuary since he's mortal now."

Helen looked up at Kate a little shocked that she'd gone on so long.

"You really do care a lot for him don't you Doc?"

Helen sighed, "I do…"

She stopped mid sentence as she heard what sounded like voices coming from the far end of the tent. She heard the familiar crackle of a walkie.

"_That wasn't the Doc's fault. It was your own!" _

"_I'm sure you recognize the bindings Mr. Foss. Titanium webbing, vampire proof, remember? I doubt you'll be able to break your way out of those."_

"_You won't get away with this Wexford."_

"_Sticks and stones I'm afraid. For the most part, I already have."_

"Bloody Hell!" Helen said looking at the GPS. "I just want this day, this trip, over!"


	10. Pain

Apologies to all! I know I promised that I was going to do more upkeep on this fic.. and I am sorry. Been suffering a little writer's block as well… so there won't be much in the way of story about Will and Henry's respective situations. Just mostly Helen and Tesla in this update..

Ice

Chapter 10

o...…o

Kate felt that she'd been silent long enough.

"Doc, I know that Tesla is in a bad way right now …."

"That is quite enough Miss Freelander."

Helen sighed as she sat down next to Nikola in the tent.

"I've thought that it's possible that Nikola could have been intentionally exposed to the Sedna Virus, or it's a concoction that's meant to replicate all the symptoms of it, in which case, I have no idea if this version is lethal. We're all separated. Assuming Will's condition hasn't changed any, he can't help, not to mention that we can't find him. Henry's been captured, Nikola's incapacitated, that leaves us. They will undoubtedly expect me to either stay with Nikola or at the very least keep him close."

"Ok… ok.. just chill Magnus.." Kate said holding up her hands.

"Nothing has gone right on this bloody trip. Nothing at all. The worst part.. is their assumption that I won't leave Nikola is accurate." Helen sighed as she took off her boots. "Despite him being particularly childish and brash, he really is in no condition to be left alone for any reason right now. In the morning we'll pack up camp and head towards Henry's signal. Now I think that it's best we set the heater out and crawl under the blankets."

"With Tesla?" Kate asked stunned.

"I'll lay closest to him, you can lie on the other side of him, or me, but Nikola does need the heat. It's your call Kate."

"Well, what if I bump one of his broken parts?"

"Then I guess we'll be awakened by a rather loud yelp won't we." Helen smiled at Kate.

Kate smiled and took her own boots off. Once they were both in their thermals they carefully lay on either side of Nikola.

o...…o

Kate had fallen asleep almost as soon as she lay her head down. Helen, just lay there next to Nikola watching him. Playing with his hair and running her fingers along his face. She'd come too close to losing him today. Helen felt that familiar pull of emotion as she looked at him. Finally his eyelids start to flutter. It had been a few hours, he was waking up.

Helen heard him groan a moment later, and heard his breathing speed up.

"…Helen…," it was barely a whisper, "….don't… feel…. well."

"I'm here Nikola, and very happy to see you've finally woken up." Helen continued brushing her fingers across his face.

Nikola winced as he faced her, he was so pale. "….. Everything hurts. ..Hurts to breathe. What happened?" he whispered closing his eyes as a spasm overtook his body.

Helen shifted closer to him to offer her assistance should he need it.

"You were in full blown psychosis I'm afraid. The sedative didn't work as well as I had hoped. What should have lasted for hours only lasted a half hour, and you grew more frightened and paranoid as the minutes ticked by for me to get back. You ran from me, Nikola. You thought I was going to hurt you. Kate and I went looking for you. She'd found you first, you'd slipped on a ledge above a frozen lake. We tried to get to you before you fell, then before the ice broke and you drown, it was close. Too close Nikola. The ice broke at the last moment and you were immersed in the water. I was able to fish you out and we've been trying to get you warm ever since."

"Why can't I move?"

"You have a broken arm, a broken leg, and broken and bruised ribs. You really did a number on yourself this time Nikola." Helen leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

Nikola gasped, and immediately groaned, scrunching his eyes together.

"Why….?"

"You're not dead." Helen smiled and nuzzled closer to him.

"As endearing as this is, and I hate, absolutely hate what I'm about to ask you…" he paused to catch his breath, "Please tell me you have pain killers."

Helen could see whatever strength he'd been able to muster was slipping. He was getting weaker by the moment. She smiled.

"Of course I do, did you forget how accident prone the children are?"

Nikola gave a thin pained smile.

She moved his arm slightly so she could see his veins. She reached beside her and grabbed the tourniquet and morphine.

"There is one catch to this I'm afraid." Helen said holding up the syringe.

Nikola groaned loudly and started coughing and gasping. Helen dropped the medicine and placed her hands on Nikola's shoulders.

"Calm down Niko… slow, take slow shallow breaths. That's it.." As Nikola's breathing started to even out, Helen was relieved that there was no blood in his sputum. The break to his ribs didn't puncture a lung.

"You can't take too deep a breath right now. If you feel the need to you must do it slowly in and out, otherwise it will be very painful."

At some point Nikola had grabbed a hold of her hand and now clutched it as though it were a lifeline. He looked up at her through his slit and watery eyes.

"Calm and slow aren't exactly my specialties," he wheezed out still trying to catch his breath.

"Shhhhh," Helen lightly rubbed his head. "What I was going to tell you was I can't give you a high enough dose to make you sleep.. but I think I'll change my mind on that tonight. You need to rest at least for the night. Either your pain or your broken limbs are keeping the virus at bay for now. Tomorrow's going to be rough for you Nikola."

Helen gently pulled her hand out of Nikola's grasp and picked up both the syringe and the bottle of morphine. When she'd filled the syringe she came to Nikola's arm with it, injected it and lay down beside him. His breathing slowed almost immediately and she could see his eyes starting to gloss over. Helen placed her hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes. He didn't reopen them.

o...…o

Nikola cracked his eyes open and looked around in a pain induced haze. He was outside in a seated position with blankets wrapped all around him. He saw Helen and Kate walking around collecting what looked to be the last of the supplies from their campsite. Each breath he took reminded him how lucky he was to be alive. The air almost felt like fire in his lungs. He didn't like being humble or indebted, but he could barely think strait or move, so his options were limited. His vision was starting to blur. The last thing he noticed before he lost consciousness was Helen. She had looked up and noticing that he was awake started to walk towards him.

o...…o

A loud whistling sound was the first thing that Nikola heard when he woke again. Opening his eyes he found that he had goggles on and they were moving over the snowy terrain. Helen was right, today has been hard on him. He felt so useless, but every time he tried to move he winced and felt a searing pain rip through his body. His thoughts were still muddled and for once actually started to feel too warm. Watching the rock face go by was beginning to make him feel nauseous. He already felt woozy, and losing whatever his stomach had for contents right now sounded a lot more painful than he was willing to deal with, so he closed his eyes. Almost immediately he drifted to sleep again.

o...…o

"…..confounding, his internal temperature is topping near 100, but his skin is still ice cold." The voice sounded distant, hard to understand. "I'm afraid I didn't bring much in the way of antibiotics…."

"He is…. right here and…can hear you." Nikola moaned as he started to open his eyes.

It looked like they were in a cave. Helen only set one tent. Looking at her, she moved from her spot in front of the lit sterno over to him. His stomach let out a loud growl- he couldn't remember when he'd eaten last.

"Glad you're awake Nikola… was getting worried about you. You've been out of it for quite a while."

"Well, you know… me, always out of iiii…OW! Do you even know what bedside manner is? .. In case… you hadn't noticed..it's STILL broken." Nikola closed his eyes and groaned as Helen's hands wondered over the broken areas.

"Somebody's grumpy." Kate said snidely.

"Yeah, well, if Doctor Nasty over here was being more gentile it wouldn't be an issue now would it? AArrgghh…"

"I have to admit, I kind of liked you better silent and brooding." Helen said as she checked his leg, "Even still, it is nice to have you back with us Nikola."

Nikola's stomach let out another loud groan. He sighed and placed his good hand on his stomach.

"I don't suppose you're actually cooking anything in that sterno over there are you?"

"I don't know, Doctor Nasty may not have anything left." Helen said as she went to the small pot and stirred the contents.

"That's just cruel Helen, even for you." The smell of potatoes and broth was carried to his nose. "Mmmm, where did you get potatoes here?"

"Dehydrated," was all Helen said.

"Ah," Nikola's moment of bliss was interrupted by a look of contempt then he shrugged his good shoulder. "Can I have some, please?"

"Of course, just one question.." Helen smirked while her back was to him.

"What's that?"

"How are you going to eat it?"

"With a spoon or fork or just dr…. HA HA, Helen." Nikola glared at the back of Helen's head.

Helen turned around smiling as though she'd won an insurmountable victory.

Nikola only rolled his eyes and said, "I would hate to think that you went through all this to keep me safe, just to let me die of starvation.." he trailed off. His face fell a little as another loud groan came from his stomach.

"Could you please help me Helen?" he asked looking her in the eye.

"I never intended to let you starve Nikola, but I must say.. 2 pleases from you in one day.. I might get spoiled. This was for you anyway, we've already eaten."

Helen scooted closer to him with a bowl and spoon. There was an obnoxiously large glass of wine sitting next to her. He cocked his head to the side and was about to ask her about it when he suddenly felt a sharp pain radiate down his arm.

Helen was talking to him, but it wasn't her voice. "Telsa, you have to wake up. Tesla!"

Nikola slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. There was a gun in his lap, and Dr. Expendable in his face. He was not prepared to see a being that appeared to be made completely of a crystalline substance. His eyes only opened a slit, and he so wanted to go back to his dream. He started to close his eyes again when Will leaned down in front of him and grabbed both sides of his head. He didn't have the strength to fight him, or even use a witty remark.

"Tesla?" Will asked again as he lifted Nikola's face up so he could get a better look at him. "He's burning up. Can you see what's wrong with him?" Will said to the being with him. The being nodded to Will as it came closer to Nikola. Nikola slightly whimpered as the being reached out a hand to touch him.

Nikola noticed the look on Will's face. It was actually that of concern. It was good to know that even with as much torment as he'd put everyone through that the entire group seemed to genuinely care. It was a sentiment that he never thought he'd see from anyone besides Helen. At that moment he felt a cold hand touch his forehead. The entire cavern lit up with a bluish light.

"_Will, your friend is very sick. I'm afraid I don't have the ability to cure all his aliments. He is ill with a virus that nearly whipped out my people. The only thing keeping him alive is his infection from his broken limbs. If I cure them, he still will not last long."_

"_There's nothing you can do?" Will looked at Tesla with a very sad eye._

"_There is a legend told of the merging of two to save one. It can only be done with like species. I can heal him, but I cannot give his life back. This is the way it must be done."_

Nikola watched the two with fascination. They seemed to be having a conversation telepathically. It concerned him, the look on Will's face. But, his eyes were already drifting shut again, even as Will mercilessly shook him and yelled his name.


	11. Desperate

Ice

Final Chapter

* * *

><p>Henry had been alone in his captivity for a while. The silence was a welcome reprieve from the villainous monologue he'd been forced to listen to. The only bad part about being left was that he was still attached to the table, he had no clothes, and they took the blanket that was keeping his dignity covered. Now he was completely exposed to the elements, still in a cave of some kind, but exposed none the less.<p>

* * *

><p>Will looked at the slumped over form of the brilliant scientist that he loved to hate. He didn't want to leave Tesla behind as he looked for Magnus and the rest of the crew. He looked rough and from the way things sounded, it seemed as though Tesla's hours were numbered.<p>

"_Will, for the time being your friend will be fine. No one has found this cave yet, and it seems we have found your other friends."_

"_What kind of time frame do you give him?" Will crouched down next to Tesla._

"_It is hard to say Will, his body is unique, not something I have come across is several years. My best estimate would be that he will not make it to day light. We must go." _

_The being grabbed Will's arm and began leading him out of the cave. The grip on his arm was released and Will watched in amazement as the Ancient One transformed into a crystalline wolf of Amarok size._

* * *

><p>"All these bloody instruments are off!" Declan said as he tried to pinpoint Helen's last known location. There must have been some sort of jamming signal to disrupt his chopper.<p>

Getting back on his radio he tried to contact the other pilot to no avail.

"Bloody hell, what has she gotten herself into now?" he asked to no one in particular.

The sun was rapidly setting, soon he would have to switch to spotlights.

* * *

><p>Henry tried to transform partially to elongate his arms and fingers. The straps became looser on his wrists, and he could just barely reach the straps. Maybe if he kept trying he could loosen them up enough to slip out of his restraints.<p>

"Come on," he whispered… He could hear shouting and gunfire..

"Doc!"

* * *

><p>Helen ducked behind a rock and fired the stunner a few times. She'd lost light of Kate and could only hope she found cover for herself. Bullets continued to ricochet off the surrounding walls as Helen moved ever so slightly forward. She saw movement from the corner of her eye.. her eyes narrowed.<p>

"Wexford!" Helen stepped out of her cover, switching to her handgun. She kept it trained on his chest.

Terrence merely smiled as he looked at her, "You're starting to lose your touch, Doctor," he enunciated the last word with a mixture of amusement and venom.

Too late Helen heard the discharge of the gun. A searing pain ripped through her shoulder as the impact from the bullet spun her slightly before depositing her roughly on the ground.

"Doc!" Helen heard Kate yell from her position.

Helen tried to sit up despite the blinding pain in her shoulder. She was kicked back down to the ground in one swift motion by Wexford.

"U-Uh," he said. "I am going to savor this moment." He said looking down at her. Kate was struggling with a captor, but Helen heard the telltale thump of a pistol whip and Kate fell to the floor. As Wexford lifted his own gun pointing it at her face, Helen came to a realization that her extraordinarily long lifetime might actually come to a close this time. She didn't try to hide the smile that started to grace her lips.

"With you out of my way it will only be a matter of time before the other heads of house welcome me back. Then I can get things back on….."

Helen heard another gunshot echo off the caverns as Wexford slumped to the ground. His eyes were wide and lifeless by the time he hit the ground.

"Magnus!" she heard Will yell and run to her. He started to pull her off the ground back to her feet when he heard her yelp in pain.

"I'm alright…I'm alright," she kept saying sounding more like an attempt to convince herself than anyone else.

"You are not! You've been shot." Will countered.

"Now that Wexford is out of the way," she paused to look at him, "thank you for that by the way, we need to find Henry, then, I can tend to my wound."

Will sighed, knowing that she wouldn't listen to him anyway. He supported her as they moved toward another opening in the rock. Kate had begun to stir as a large crystalline wolf licked her face. Helen tried to blink back the surprise at the sight, but Will felt her flinch.

"Oh, Magnus.. meet an elder of the Amarok. They are called the Ancient Ones among their kind."

The elder approached Helen and she felt herself tense for a moment. She wasn't sure if she felt fear, awe, or pride as she watch the elder turn from wolf, to a more humanoid appearance. It lifted its hand to her injured shoulder and Helen felt a warm sensation embrace her body.

"_You are Helen," a voice within her mind stated, "Will and I have been talking at great lengths about your endeavors, a truly magnificent trial."_

"_You can communicate with us through telepathy?"_

"_Yes, but we can discuss this later. We have a friend of yours to find and another that is gravely ill that we must try to save."_

_Helen's heart felt as though it was about to burst from her chest with her mixed feelings about the two that were mentioned._

"_They both mean a great deal to you."_

"_Yes," was all she could muster._

"_Helen Magnus, please open your eyes, you are healed."_

Helen's eyes snapped open and she lifted herself from her leaning position on Will's shoulder. She looked immediately to her shoulder and felt a surge of hope. Maybe Nikola wasn't beyond saving after all.

Helen started to say something, but was distracted by a muffled cry.

"Do you hear that?" Helen asked. She ran blindly deeper into the cavern. The sound became louder and recognizable as Henry's voice.

"Henry!" Helen yelled breathlessly as she continued to run ahead of the others.

* * *

><p>The adrenaline Henry felt when he woke was quickly leaving him. The cold was starting to take its toll on his exposed body. He gave up trying to free himself from his bonds. His shivering wouldn't stop. He decided that no one could hear his screams over the gunfire anyway. So he would wait. It seemed to take forever.<p>

"Come on Doc, take those bastards out," Henry said through chattering teeth.

Closing his eyes for what he thought was only a moment, Henry tried to block out the feel of the freezing room. His eyes began to feel heavy.

"I can't sleep, can't sleep.." he whispered to himself drowsily.

Henry shook his head roughly in an attempt to wake himself up. It appears that in the amount of time he was fighting with himself the gunfire had stopped.

Trying to call out again, his first attempt sounded weak and barely loud enough for him to hear. It took a couple more tries before his voice could breech the room he was in.

"Henry!" he heard clearly.

"Doc! In here!" he cried out. Thank god…rescue at last.

* * *

><p>Helen wasn't prepared for the sight in front of her after coming around the corner. Henry lay on a table, bound with their own vampire proof restraints, stark naked.<p>

"Uh.. Well Henry we're here."

"Thank god! Get me outta here!

Helen scanned the room for something she could cover him up with. There was a blanket that looked like it had been cast off him at some point. She grabbed it and quickly covered him as she released him from the bindings.

* * *

><p>It had gotten dark some time ago, but Declan was still circling the area trying to find his lost people. Looking at his gas gauge he knew he couldn't keep flying around forever. He was going to need to set down and look on foot if he wanted to be able to fly them out of there.<p>

As he started to ease the chopper down, he saw a bright blue light coming from somewhere in the distance.

"Well that's got to be them." He muttered to himself as he angled the chopper towards the light.

* * *

><p>Helen and Will had just deposited a shaking Henry to the tent where he promptly curled underneath an electric blanket to warm himself.<p>

Helen sat down beside Nikola and lightly shook him. After a few minutes she heard him start to speak.

"…Helen," Nikola said weakly.

She grabbed his hand and leaned in closer to him. "What is it Nikola?" she asked softly. Her other hand came to rest on his sweat drenched forehead.

"..I…I've made my peace…" he started.

"Nikola Tesla… Don't you dare..." Helen looked at him almost angrily.

"Don't want….to be in a world…" he paused to catch his breath, "without you. Don't give your life for mine….Don't deserve….it."

Helen looked away from him, how could he not see just what he meant to her? He was the only constant in her life. Her Northern Star. He wanted her to let him go.

"You listen to me Nikola," Helen put both of her hands on his face, "It's my life to do with what I will." Tears had started flowing freely down her face. "I'm not ready to lose you. And I really don't think it will take all of my life to save you."

Nikola looked up at her through bleary eyes of his own.

"Yes, Nikola.. I'm telling you that I love you, and that I will not give you up without one hell of a fight."

Nikola let out a strangled whimper, the elation he felt through his heart almost enough to make him forget he was on death's doorstep. A single tear trickled down the side of his face, then another.

"..Only took… 180 years.." Nikola closed his eyes again.. "Wa….waited so long…" a weak choked sob escaped his throat, "finally earned… your love… too late…" Tears were now cascading down his face. Mourning the life they could've had. He could feel his strength faltering, weak as he was. It was getting harder to hold on to reality. "I'm…. sorry…." He said as his head lolled to the side. His breath was coming out in short gasps and his pulse was fast and threaded, but he was still alive, just unconscious.

"What do you need me to do?" Helen asked in a panic. "What do I do?"

The Ancient One approached her and held out its hand. Helen took it and closed her eyes.

"_It causes you great pain to think of his loss."_

"_I've only just recently realized my feelings for him. I just hope it isn't too late."_

"_He is very weak. There is a possibility that he may not survive the merging process, in which case you both could be lost."_

"_I don't care. I owe it to him to try. It's time he learns how I feel."_

"_Helen, I understand. Will, has been teaching me your ways. Your life is an honorable one and your work, as consuming as it is, cannot be ended here. For this reason I have agreed to this process. My life force will be consumed by both of you. You must live Helen. You must understand that in my life I have not encountered beings with such selfless intentions. I thought I would never be able to bestow my gifts upon anyone in my lifetime. It is an honor to serve such a noble cause."_

Helen sat starring dumbfounded at the being in front of her.

"_Magnus," she heard Will's voice in her mind, "Tesla doesn't have much time left. If you're going to go through with this, it needs to be done soon."_

_Looking down, Helen took a deep breath, "Ok then, let's do this." Helen looked back up at the Ancient One and nodded her head with a slight smile._

The being placed its hand on Nikola's forehead and moved its other hand to Helen's. At first Helen felt serene, dis-joined from her body and free to be anywhere. Then she saw Nikola, still lying down and looking as sick as ever. She went to him and began to sit him up. His body was still feverish. Helen saw Nikola's eyes crack slightly open and look at her. They were very glassy against his flushed cheeks. Helen cradled his head against her chest.

"_I didn't think I would make it to Heaven_," _Nikola thought._

"_This isn't heaven, it's somewhere in between."_

"_But that means… No Helen.. you can't be dead too." Nikola thought sadly._

_Helen moved to cup her hand to his cheek. "Of course not silly, we're healing you."_

_In a flash there was a scene from their past playing before them. As if they were observers in a theater to their own lives. Helen was overwhelmed by a range of emotions as she watched herself and Nikola grow closer during their time at Oxford. How could she have been so blind to his true intentions over all these years? Helen started to feel extremely tired. She lay Nikola down and then lay down beside him. _

"_So tired." Helen whispered._

_Nikola turned his head to look at her, and let out a startled gasp. Helen was as transparent as an apparition. Her body shifted from being the young blond scientist that he'd met all those years ago at Oxford to her current state then to an older version of Helen that Nikola hoped never to see. The cycle kept repeating as though her body were trying to find where it was supposed to be. Finding that he had the strength to sit up, he pulled her into his lap, much the way she had done with him._

"_Helen….Helen look at me," Nikola sighed as he saw her trying to open her eyes, "What have you done __ljubav__?" _

"_Saving you….." she trailed off._

"_At what cost? Please don't make me go on without you." Nikola pleaded._

_"I wouldn't dream of it….." Helen slowly started to fad out of his sight._

"_Helen! Helen!" he yelled._

_Standing up he ran around in his now empty area looking for any signs of her. Falling to his knees he placed his face in his hands, "Helen, oh god Helen." _

* * *

><p>"He's opening his eyes." Nikola heard someone say close by.<p>

"What about Magnus?" It was Dr. Expendable.

"She's still unconscious. Do you think she's ok?" Booty, it had to be Booty.

"Wha… what's wrong with Helen?" Nikola asked trying to sit up. He immediately regretted it. Groaning he closed his eyes and lay back again. He felt so he couldn't even hold his head up. He instead opted to turn his head and try to look around. 'Well, the gang's all here,' he thought. 'But where is Helen?' he'd been looking for her when he realized that she was lying not far from him. Her normally dark locks of hair were now that blond he'd grown so fond of when they'd met. She looked younger.

"My god, what happened?" Nikola questioned. She didn't look a day over when they'd taken the source blood.

Nikola's eyes started to drift closed again. He vaguely heard someone talking about two helicopters circling the area. He smiled.

* * *

><p><em>Author's notes:<em>

_Fear not… there is an epilogue coming! I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that! Muhahaha…. I mean.. *clears throat* well you know what I mean._

_Thank you to everyone that has been reading.. your kind words have inspired me to keep this story afloat.. and to those that read and don't review… thanks all the same.. Although nothing quite replaces the warm words and encouragement of a review, the story and author alerts are awesome as well!  
><em>

_I haven't given disclaimers in a while but I'm fairly certain that everyone knows I don't own Sanctuary.. and I haven't profited from any of my drabbles._

_Special thanks to Stargategeek for allowing me to bounce several ideas off her. :D_

_I love you all!_

_Jenn_


	12. Epilogue

ICE

Epilogue

…

Will came into the infirmary and sat down next to Helen. He was still having a hard time adjusting to Helen's new look. With a sigh he began talking to her about the daily events that she was missing while she got her beauty rest. He told her Nikola's condition was improving, what her own condition was, and so on and so forth.

It had been a week since the return to Old City. Neither Helen nor Nikola showed any signs of waking. Everyone was still entranced by Helen's sudden change in hair color. It had apparently been quite a long time since Helen left her hair to its natural color. A few tests confirmed that both Helen and Nikola's DNA had been changed slightly, but they needed one of the two to wake up to make any sense of the results.

Two days later, all Will could do was groan. Much to his chagrin, Tesla woke up first. He insisted on seeing Helen and wouldn't shut up until he got his way. It wasn't until Tesla tried to get out of the bed on his own, falling and re-breaking his leg that Will moved his gurney into the same partition with Helen. Will only would admit to himself, and even then, only partially, a grudging respect for Tesla. He was obviously in a tremendous amount of pain having broken his leg again, but his determination at making sure that Helen was ok warmed his heart a little. Nikola was still painfully thin, pale, had ghastly circles under his eyes, but as soon as he saw Helen he let out a sigh of admiration, his gaze softened and Will could see the exhaustion written on his face.

Will mentioned that he needed to rest, but instead of arguing he merely rolled his eyes. They argued about painkillers. Nikola didn't want to take any, Will wanted him to rest. All Nikola wanted to do was watch Helen, pain or no. So, Will, did what he thought was best and while Tesla wasn't looking slipped a pain medication into his IV. It bought him the rest of the day's peace.

As much of a pain as Tesla is, Will couldn't help being concerned for him, two more days passed and he was barely eating and his fever spiked again. Thankfully, Declan came in from the London Sanctuary to oversee things in Old City, giving Will the opportunity to fret over Magnus and Tesla like a mother hen. Biggie would come in from time to time and Will would ask him a few questions about what he should try next. Biggie would grunt and give him an answer, then Will shooed him from the room. Will switched Tesla to a stronger antibiotic. He was helping Nikola sit up and drink some ice water when he heard a noise coming from Magnus. Tesla didn't notice the sound from Helen while he was drinking, as intent as he was to not spill any of the precious contents. When Nikola started to shake Will didn't know if it was from exertion or the fever. He helped him lay back down and Nikola used his good arm to pull the blankets back up on him as his teeth chattered. He was tired of being cold, Will couldn't blame him. Will placed his hand on Tesla's forehead and shook his head. Tesla still had one hell of a fever. He was still struggling with the blanket when Will took it from his hand and tucked it in under his chin. Tesla muttered thanks, and Will told him not to get used to it. All Tesla did was smile as he drifted to sleep again.

Will sat down in the chair that was next to the two beds and watched Magnus. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. She settled down a little, and then moments later she stretched and yawned and slowly opened her eyes. All Will could do was stare. Besides her hair having changed, her eyes had too. They bore a striking resemblance to the Ancient One that sacrificed itself for them. They were that brilliant light blue that screamed purity.

"Will," she said brightly.

"I'm glad you're finally awake."

Helen's smile faulted somewhat, "What's wrong?"

"Uh… hang on a minute," Will said as he headed to a nearby table. He came back with a mirror.

Helen tilted her head confused and took the mirror from him. She was literally at a loss for words as she stared at her reflection. She was unsure what had the most affect on her. Her eyes, or her hair.

She touched her cheek, then a few strands of hair.

"Well, this is definitely different. Any clue what it means?"

"None, but there are a few interesting things you should know."  
>They had tracked down a large portion of 'The Ire', as Wexford called them. They were holed up in a warehouse off the southernmost tip of the Yucatan. Almost all of the major funders had been captured. Will explained how the elder was absorbed by both her and Nikola that it turned into a shining blue light and entered both of their bodies. Shortly after is when Helen's appearance started to change. A few of the Amarok came with them, and one elder. It was conditional that they be returned to their home within 3 weeks of Helen waking. Helen smiled.<p>

Will wanted to stop right there. He didn't want to tell her about Nikola's condition. He'd rather tell her about the change in DNA..

"There are two important things you need to know." He took a deep breath and explained. "Both yours and Tesla's DNA have been altered by this…. convergence. I can't make any sense of it, so I thought I'd leave you to it when you woke. Second, Tesla's gotten worse."

Helen looked over at Nikola and got out of the bed.

"He was ok for a while, but then yesterday his fever spiked again, and he won't eat. He'll barely even drink."

"What have you tried?" she asked walking over to Tesla's bed.

"I had him on some antibiotics, electrolytes, and vitamins. I tried him on a stronger antibiotic a few hours ago. About a half hour ago I managed to get him to drink some water, then he passed out."

Will looked over at Helen to see that she had just stopped inches from the bed and was starring out in space. Will was about to call out her name when she took a deep breath, shook her head, and fell towards Nikola's bed, catching herself on the railing.

Helen let out a tired laugh.

"Are you alright Magnus? Do you need to lie back down? What happened?"

"I believe I just got the instruction manual." She said as she reached out to Nikola's head. She placed her hands on his temples and closed her eyes. Will was astonished to see that familiar blue light fill the infirmary.

"_Nikola, can you hear me?"_

_Helen felt the same as she had when they'd been trying to save him back in the cave. Nikola was lying in the infirmary bed, eyes closed. The only thing different was a heart monitor slowly beeping his rhythm. He looked thinner than he had the last time she'd seen him. He didn't have any weight to lose. Every breath sounded like a death rattle coming from his chest, his skin pale, and his face sunken._

"_Oh, Nikola." Helen said as she cupped his face in her hand. She watched as his eyes fluttered and he took in a shaky breath. Opening his eyes he smiled when he saw Helen._

"_Come ..to see me…off? Be …seeing Dane …again …soon." He smiled sadly._

"_Are you so ready to leave me, after I've admitted my feelings for you, no less?"_

"_I…. I don't …know what's …real anymore."_

_Nikola tried to reach up to touch her face, but his hand only lifted a couple inches before it fell back to the bed. He whimpered slightly. Helen took that as her cue and climbed into the bed next to him. She rolled him to his side so that his head rested at her shoulder and his body heavily leaned on her. He let out a shaky contented sigh._

"_Things have changed a great deal, Niko.." Helen started. Nikola looked up at her confused. "The Amarok gave me a gift. I now have the same healing touch as the elders. I had to trade my longevity for it."_

_Nikola looked up at her confused, "You mean…"_

"_I'll live my life out as I would've before the source blood." She smiled at him and placed her hand to his cheek again. "We can live out the rest of our lives together, Nikola. I'm healing you right now. In a few days time you should have your strength back, or at least have some back. In case you don't remember me telling you before, I love you."_

_He closed his eyes, smiling, "Say it again, please."_

_Helen smiled and placed a tender kiss on his forehead, "I love you, Nikola Tesla."_

_Nikola nuzzled closer to her and Helen smiled._

"_Now, are you ready to wake up love?" Helen asked._

"_Mmmmm… 5 more minutes." He whispered._

_Helen laughed as she broke the connection._

Helen opened her eyes, and Nikola did the same almost immediately. Already he was showing signs of gaining strength as he reached up and touched her hair.

"I've always loved this color on you." he said tiredly. "Oh, and your eyes, I could look into them forever."

Helen smiled. She was able to banish the rest of the infection Nikola had and finish mending his broken bones. He would need help walking for a little while, but that was due to muscle atrophy. Helen explained to Will that the changes in their DNA most likely affected Kate, Henry and himself as well. The gift that came with the healing being telepathy. She was unconcerned about it.

Helen decided that she would spend the rest of the day with Nikola, then, she would visit with the Amarok. She had the rest of her life to spend with her Serbian, and he didn't seem to mind either.

_Oooooo- Fin -oooooO_

…

_Author notes:_

_It has been a spectacular ride!_

_Keep an eye out for more stories! I have on already in the works.. think I'll call it 'Kaharaug' name still in progress…_

_I can't promise that all my stories will have such a happy ending.. as they seem to write themselves anyway.. just a forewarning! :D_

_Thank you all sooooo much! This was my first ever fanfic..and I am absolutely thrilled that it was so well received. I mean really.. I'm almost blushing writing this!_

_I hope everyone had a fantasic Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year!_

_Jenn_


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